Around the Web Digest: Week of June 1

This week, because there was just so much to round up, I’m going to try something new. I’m fleshing out a new system here, in order to organize the articles that I share. Hopefully, this will help you find the articles you’re interested in, faster. You’ll find that the links below are now sorted into stories “by anthropologists,” “about anthropology,” and “for anthropologists.”

The stories by anthropologists (and friends) are generally going to be blog articles that are written by anthropologists, or at the very least, strongly related to anthropology (e.g. the articles by Anne Fausto-Sterling and Michael Eisen below).

The stories about anthropology are those that are not written by anthropologists, but feature particular anthropologists or the practice of anthropology.

The stories for anthropologists are articles that would be of interest to anthropologists. They may feature anthropological or sociological themes, news about anthropology blogs (e.g. revamps), or articles on academia and higher education.

As usual, if you come across or write an article that you’d like me to share next week, please email me at richard.powis@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter at @dtpowis.

Without further ado… 

Stories by anthropologists (and friends).

The saga continues. Jennifer Raff has responded to Nicholas Wade’s “defense.” (Violent Metaphors) Michael Eisen, co-founder of PLOS, called Wade on his delusional fantasy. (It Is NOT Junk) And Jon Marks wonders, Shouldn’t it be a problem that Nicholas Wade’s book is so popular with Nazis? (anthropomics)

Robert Martin has written on the evolutionary purpose of the female orgasm. (Psychology Today)

Anne Fausto-Sterling has written on a research interest near to my heart: the biology of fatherhood, and couvade in particular. (Boston Review)

Nicholas Mizer has written his response to Alex Posecznick’s second installment of his Scholarly Hipster series. (The Geek Anthropologist)

Julie Billaud has written on the seeming resurgence of racism in Europe. (Allegra Lab)

Reetta Toivanen shares her experience of doing fieldwork with her son, and she wants to hear about your experience of doing fieldwork with children as well. (Allegra Lab)

Vincent F. Ialenti has written an ethnographic account on the shifting image of the scientific expert. (Allegra Lab)

Trevor Duke has written a compelling piece on the neuroanthropology of space-making. (Neuroanthropology)

Daisy Deomampo has written on how, in Mumbai, transnational surrogacy is much more than just a “womb for rent.” (Somatosphere)

Jessika Tremblay was interviewed about her use of blogging in fieldwork. (Allegra Lab)

Michael Agar has written on the challenge of translating scholarly discourse on substance abuse into effective public health policy, in light of the so-called “War on Drugs.” (Ethnography Matters)

As an addendum to his popular piece on what the ‘ontological turn’ means for his practice of anthropology, Jeremy Trombley answers some critiques and clarifies some points. (Struggle Forever)

Nicholas Barnes has written on BOPE, the Brazilian state police force that has been tasked with “the pacification process” in preparation for the World Cup. (Anthropoliteia)

Kerim Friedman takes a filmmaker’s perspective to explore the question of how much fieldwork one must do in order to produce a finished product. (Savage Minds)

Alex Golub interviewed Eduardo Kohn on his book How Forests Think. (Savage Minds)

Simone Abram has kicked off a series on the emerging public interest in the Arctic – what it is, what it means in the public imagination, and how it affects policy and the people who live there. (Savage Minds: Here & here.)

Stories about anthropology.

Based on the life of Margaret Mead, Euphoria is a novel about her marriages to Reo Fortune and Gregory Bateson – but not really. (Salon)

David Graeber was interviewed about “bullshit jobs.” (Salon)

Paul Rabinow was interviewed on Entitled Opinions, a Stanford University radio show, about his work on the contemporary. (Stanford University)

Donald Johanson was interviewed on the 40th anniversary of Lucy’s discovery. (BOAS Network)

There is such a thing as a donut anthropologist. (TIME)

BREAKING: Bias may affect the work of forensic anthropologists. GASP (Pacific Standard)

Stories for anthropologists.

It’s becoming more and more evident that agriculture was specifically designed to manage the production of beer. (Science 2.0)

Some athletes are using breast milk as an energy drink. (Outside)

These nineteenth century Ohio millstones came from France – the fossils say so. (Eureka Alert)

Alexander McLean is fighting for prisoner’s rights on the African continent. (TED)

A new study suggests that sex-selective abortion practices are non-existent, so no need to base our abortion laws around them. (Jezebel)

In a nation where access to safe abortion is deteriorating, an “underground railroad” has emerged. (In These Times)

Exactly what I’ve been waiting for: “a critical theoretic Marxist dialectical analysis of the World Cup Song.” (The Guardian)

While you’re at it, check out 15 stunning examples of anti-FIFA/World Cup graffiti from Brazil. (Who Ate All the Pies)

Oh, and caxirolas – Brazil’s answer to the vuvuzela – have already been banned from every stadium. (The New Yorker)

An Indian court has been asked to rule on whether a Hindu guru is dead or just meditating. (Telegraph)

Glad to find this before starting graduate school: The guide to completing your dissertation in a week. (Autostraddle)

Judy Chu’s new book, When Boys Become Boys, is on how boys…become boys. Here’s an interview. (The Atlantic)

Bastion of liberal grocers, Whole Foods Fresh Market, is fiercely anti-union. Who would’ve guessed? (In These Times)

This is how “temp work” works, and how corporations take advantage of it. (The Nation)

While some people are focusing on the Bowe Bergdahl case, I can’t help but notice: Guantanamo Prison is still open. (The Nation)

A new study suggests that the political opinions of Latinos in America may vary based on the language of the poll. I can’t help but wonder what kind of biases this phenomenon could present in my own fieldwork. (Pacific Standard)

The oral histories of American homeless have been documented in a project at St. Stephen’s Human Services in Minneapolis. (The Atlantic)

There’s a new blog on masculinities. (Girl w/ Pen!)

The Geek Anthropologist is looking for contributors! (The Geek Anthropologist)

Dick Powis

Dick Powis is a PhD Candidate in Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, and is also pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. His research interests include men and childbirth, prenatal screening technologies, and reproductive health in urban settings in Senegal. Read more at dickpowis.com.

One thought on “Around the Web Digest: Week of June 1

  1. Feature this one [http://wbeeman.blogspot.jp/2014/06/the-disintegration-of-iraq-has-begun.html] Suggest “putting local knowledge to work” as title.

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