Resource wars and Public Anthropology

Extraction of subterranean wealth is a hot issue in the Netherlands, and elsewhere. How do we anthropologists contribute to the field of research and the public debate on mineral and gas extraction?

Sabine Luning • August 19, 2015 • 3 comments

The Anger of Athens

On July 15th, Metje Postma was caught up in the angry demonstration in Athens against Parliament’s impending vote to agree to Tsipras's deal with EU leaders. The protest got out of hand and was broken up by the police using tear gas.

Metje Postma • July 20, 2015

Rock Art in Panna - What does it mean to the people who live there?

Rock art is widely found in caves and along shady parts of the rocky Vindhya hills of Central India, where the Panna Tiger Reserve is located. These are truly beautiful paintings, but what is their significance to the present local community?

Shekhar Kolipaka • July 01, 2015 • 6 comments

My Airbnb home is my market

Is Airbnb a wonderful economic alternative based on sharing and morality? Or is it simply an illustration of our labour market being so problematic that people get more creative to make ends meet? A former Airbnb member tells her side of the story.

Nikkie Buskermolen • June 16, 2015 • 1 comment

From Beyoncé to Markets – Anthropologists Studying Elites

What does it entail to study elites: How do we anthropologists approach the rich and powerful? In this conversation Erik Bähre and Zane Kripe share some experiences and ideas.

Erik Bähre and Zane Kripe • May 27, 2015 • 1 comment

“In my childhood we only played with empty shells” - Reporting from the frontlines

Vager Saadullah is a journalist and political analyst, living in Duhok - the KRG region in North Iraq. I interviewed him in April about his life experiences in this region and his views on the war with the Islamic State and the future of Kurdistan.

Wendelmoet Hamelink • May 13, 2015

All of one place: A Muslim saint, a converted Hindu princess, and a Hindu deity

Ethnic and religious antagonisms are not givens, but the outcome of historical and political processes. Borders, as human-made conveyors of state-oriented conceptual frameworks, play a central role in shaping these.

Erik de Maaker • May 06, 2015 • 1 comment

When dreams shape our day

Dreams appear only to the individual, but seem to come from a source outside our social selves. Do we allow them to shape our days? Comparing Dutch and Kyrgyz social contexts, we understand how profoundly cultural these processes are.

Nienke van der Heide • April 15, 2015 • 2 comments

Confrontational Self-Organization: Some Reflections from Oakland and San Francisco

From Occupy to Black Lives Matter, the Californian cities of Oakland and San Francisco are on the frontlines of some of today's most important political struggles. In these cities systemic inequality and racism is palpable in every aspect of urban life.

Marianne Maeckelbergh • April 01, 2015