A Look at Current Events: Anthropology and Democracy

While watching coverage of the Hong Kong protests on Tuesday, I heard a U.S. American correspondent say something like “Americans hearts do, and should, go out the Hong Kong protesters.”I’ve watched quite a bit of coverage on the protests, and I eventually lost track of the exact video clip that I heard this statement from. Nonetheless, the quote has been stuck in my thoughts. In the U.S., many citizens take pride in our country’s democracy and all that it stands for. But what about the rest of the world? This led me to the questions “how universal is democracy?” and “what can anthropology tell us about democracy throughout the world?” … More A Look at Current Events: Anthropology and Democracy

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Everyday Anthropology: Business Anthropology

What is Business Anthropology?   Business anthropology is perhaps one of the most concrete examples of how anthropology can be applied to “the real world” (outside of academia). According to a 2010 article written by Robert Guang Tian on the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) website, business anthropology is:   “a practical oriented scholastic field … More Everyday Anthropology: Business Anthropology

Three (More) Skills I Learned From Anthropology

This post is a follow-up to my previous post, Five Skills I Learned From Anthropology. If you haven’t read that post yet, you might want to go check it out first.     Here are three more skills that I have learned during my time as an anthropology student and researcher: Cross-Cultural Communication Studying anthropology increased … More Three (More) Skills I Learned From Anthropology

Class is in Session: U.S. American Culture and Education

These are my thoughts, based on my background as an anthropologist, on the state of the U.S. education system, the values that shape it, and the systems that drive it. Anthropology has given me a great lens through which to examine these concepts. Here are some of the ways I think anthropological theory and concepts can be applied to American education. … More Class is in Session: U.S. American Culture and Education

Everyday Anthropology: Political Economy

There are many ways to define the theory of political economy (especially depending on the field of study you ask). Based on my background in anthropology, I define it like this:

Political economy is the study of cultural phenomenon in the broader context of economic, political and social power structures. It is a way of studying culture that recognizes the influence of politics, economic structures and social hierarchies on everyday life.
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Book Discussion: Tell Me Who You Are by Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi

Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing our stories of race, culture & identity, was written by Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi, two young women from Princeton, New Jersey. The pair took a gap year between high school and university to complete the research for this book, which involved traveling all over the U.S. to interview hundreds of people about their racial, cultural, and ethnic identities. The result is a collection of profiles, perspectives, and experiences that come together to form an insightful picture of the U.S.’s large and diverse population. … More Book Discussion: Tell Me Who You Are by Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi

Everyday Anthropology: Environmental Justice

Environmental justice centers around the belief that all people have a right to a healthy living environment and fair treatment through environmental laws and regulations. In addition, environmental justice persists because of the existence of environmental injustices—ways that environmental issues such as pollution and natural disasters disproportionately affect vulnerable and disadvantaged people. … More Everyday Anthropology: Environmental Justice