Around the Web Digest- June 19

Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying your Tuesday, maybe still recovering from Pride weekend? I have some light readings for the week to aid in your recovery.

The need for queer anthropology only grows in the shadow of Orlando and growing political discourses on queer people around the world. Tamar Shirinian illustrates the intimate relationship between the nation-state and the lives of queer people.

Stem cells still fascinate biologists for their vast potential in medicine and learning about human development. However, stem cell tourism that promises miracle cures across the world is emerging. An emerging issue among medical anthropologists who study medical tourism.

The EU is in peril as the Brexit situation looks more and more uncertain. Simon Roberts reflects on the importance of anthropology in perilous times and the value of ethnography in public policy.

Surfing as metaphor for ethnographic practice. David Whyte offers parallels between the embodied knowledge of surfing in constantly changing environments to the shifting cultural landscapes within ethnographic field work.

Do you want to mix it up a little bit in the fall when teaching classes? Food Anthropology suggests cooking a meal in the tradition of experiential learning?

Sleep vs. Nap vs. Inemuri. When regular sleep patterns are a virtue; why is sleeping in public so prevalent in Japan?

If you are not familiar with the work of Paul Stoller (earlier announced as an inaugural member of the Public Anthropology Institute), here is a video that illustrates the foundational work of Dr. Stoller.

If you have any article that you recommend, please share them with me at smechong@gmail.com

See you next Week!

3 thoughts on “Around the Web Digest- June 19

  1. Edward, thanks, in particular, for the link to the Brexit piece by Simon Roberts. It is good to see a non-academic anthropologist getting well-deserved recognition.

  2. The embodied surfing piece moves me to share a parable I came up with to answer student questions about how to survive in the information economy; I was teaching marketing.

    Imagine a beach. At one end is someone building a sand castle, exquisite in every detail. A thing of beauty. . . . Until the tide comes in. At the other end, we all know this guy. he drives up, tears off his clothes and jumps straight into the water, oblivious to the jellyfish, sharks, riptides and a looming storm. He will be lucky if he makes it out alive. In the middle we see surfer dude. As she walks down to the beach, we can see that she is in great shape and knows what she is doing. She checks the weather, checks the waves. When she sees a promising wave, she swims out to meet it. Yes, no question, she’s practiced a lot and knows what she’s doing.

    The moral of the story is not that surfer dude catches every wave. But when she does, she enjoys an amazing ride.,

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