After a little two week hiatus, I’m back to bring you what internet-offerings you may have missed in the last seven days. If you come across any news or blog articles that you think I should share next week, please send them to me at richard.powis@gmail.com or on Twitter at @dtpowis.
Let’s go!
Among other big stories, there is the blogosphere’s reaction to the Isla Vista Shooting. While there has been a great deal of the normal response to such tragedies (i.e. gun laws vs. mental health), much of the response has been to the misogyny of Elliot Rodger’s video manifesto, resulting in a massive discussion of everyday sexism on Twitter (#YesAllWomen). When you consider the rebuttals from MRAs (#NotAllMen) and the counter-rebuttals that slam MRAs in their place, I am, frankly, overwhelmed with information, arguments, articles, tweets, and blogs. I can’t list them all, and if I tried, I’d surely forget some of the more important ones, but if I had to recommend just one of the articles that came out of this mess, I would point you towards Arthur Chu’s discussions of how our generation of men (i.e. the dreaded Millenials) has been enculturated through the media to believe that we are entitled to women’s bodies. (The Daily Beast)
What’s in a name? Geoff Nunberg discusses what makes some uneasy about Piketty’s book title, and it’s evolution since Marx’ use. (NPR)
Wow. You know the C-section crisis has gotten out of hand when Consumer Reports is on the case. (Consumer Reports)
Alex Posecznick has written the latest installment on anthropologists as hipsters, asking “Why do they hate us?” (Savage Minds)
Nick Seaver, who has appeared in the Digest for his work on the CASTAC Blog, has written three pieces for us this week on the history of computing in anthropology. (Savage Minds, here, here, and here)
Michael E. Smith has a bone to pick to with James C. Scott, and particularly with his review of Jared Diamond’s latest book. (Publishing Archaeology)
Vanessa Agard-Jones has inventoried aerosols in the latest Commonplaces, Spray. (Somatosphere)
Sarah Fishleder has written on cultural evolution and the ways we learn. (Neuroanthropology)
Margaret E. MacDonald’s has authored a review of Michelle Murphy’s Seizing the Means of Reproduction – book that stares at me daily from a stack through which I’m slowly working. (Somatosphere)
Gabriela Rădulescu has written a review of Pete Benson’s ethnographic work, Tobacco Capitalism. (Allegra Lab)
If you’re still keeping up with the criticism against Nicholas Wade’s latest book, there was some new back-and-forth this week. First, Agustín Fuentes (Psychology Today, HuffPo), Jon Marks (In These Times, HuffPo), and Jennifer Raff (Violent Metaphors, HuffPo) wrote some less than favorable reviews on Wade’s book. Wade (a journalist who purports to write about science) was not happy that Marks, Fuentes, and Raff would rain on his racist parade, so he went after – of all things – their credentials (HuffPo). Marks and Fuentes have since responded to Wade’s “defense” (anthropomics and HuffPo, respectively). Do yourself a favor, grab a bag of popcorn, and read the comments for some lolz.
Julienne Rutherford (et al)’s latest publication is in PLOS for all to read, and their work suggests that a mother’s risk of stillbirth is tied to her own environment and development as a fetus. If you’re crunched for time, check out Carl Zimmer’s write-up. (The Loom)
Orisanmi Burton has written a piece that lays a foundation for his own ethnographic work on incarceration and anti-prison activism. (Anthropology News)
David Graeber, through a brief analysis of Piketty’s Capital, urges us all to unplug the machine. (The Guardian)
Ariane Tulloch as written an article on adult education across cultures. (Neuroanthropology)
Sarah Kendzior’s latest piece is on gentrification and the “cleaned up neighbourhood” as hipster economics. (Al Jazeera)
Paul Stoller has documented his (our?) growing disappointment with Barack Obama. (HuffPo)
Videos of each presentation at the Anthropological Knots Symposium (featuring Marilyn Strathern, Michael Carrithers, Chris Gregory, and David Graeber) have been posted. (Allegra Lab)
Somatosphere has posted a summary review of the workshop “Diagnostics, Disease, & Development,” which was held at University of Edinburgh. (Somatosphere)
Anthropoliteia has posted a summary of the workshop “Ethnography and Policing,” which was held at Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. (Anthropoliteia)
Check out The Geek Anthropologist’s brand new duds! (The Geek Anthropologist)
Check out Anthropoliteia’s newest feature, Practicum, which focuses on applied anthropology and the study of policing, security, and crime. (Anthropoliteia)