Anthrodendum: 2017 in Review
2017 was a very productive year for Anthro{dendum} and to kick off another year in the anthropology blogosphere, I bring our annual year in review!
Our three most popular posts:
“What you can REALLY do with an anthropology degree”
An honest and sobering look at the job prospectives for those with anthropology degrees. Hopefully, this will be used as a reference for undergraduates and other budding anthropologists in 2018.
“Society Must Be Defended: Join us for a Read-In on 20 January 2017”
In response to the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, Paige West and JC Salyer organized a read-in of Lecture eleven of Michel Foucault’s Society Must be Defended. One year in, the need for scholars to engage in new forms only becomes more relevant.
“Behold, a timeline of the history of anthropology!”
For those who love a good graph, a lovely timeline of major points in anthropology was compiled and will continue to be updated!
Our contributors also had their favorite pieces of the year
Dick:
“Othered by Anthropology: Being a Student of Color in Anglo-cized Academia”
“On the Importance of Collaboration (and Remuneration!) in Ethnographic Photography”
Shutterbugs are common amongst anthropology spheres, but it is helpful to think about the ethics of photographing ethnographic subjects (something travel blogs have yet to think about).
“Artisanal Anthropology Workshop”
Ironically, I first read this in line at Whole Foods to try out their new mochi bar.
“An Ethnographic Liminality: The Hurry Up and Wait of Dissertation Research Predeparture”
Keep up with Dick’s dissertation research with the tag #RoR2018
Kerim:
The Cyborg Anthropologist (Tools We Use)
Language barriers and the methods to circumvent these gaps in fieldwork (or Google Translate as our next step into a Haraway-esque cyborg evolution).
Do we even need to define ethnographic film?
The Four Dimensions of Ethnographic Films
Ethnographic Films: A Family of Resemblances
Not sure about what makes ethnographic film tick, take a look at this three-part exploration in that exact question.
Carole:
#MeToo: A Crescendo in the Discourse about Sexual Harassment, Fieldwork, and the Academy (Part 1) (Part 2)
Hopefully, in 2018 we can finally be honest about the pervasiveness of violence, even within the field and make changes to ensure the safety of marginalized people.
I struggled with despair and depression in the past few months, but this reformatted twitter thread is very helpful in grounding life in a hellscape that is contemporary life.
Great anthropologists who fought fascism
One of the few things keeping me afloat is seeing the potential of scholars to inform change and educate the public on the dangers of fascism.
All I can currently write about this piece is quoting this line: “Putting the earth and the academy aside, so what’s going on here? Do we or can we belong to a place or not? If we are from elsewhere, can we belong to here?”
Refugees, Immigrants, and Trump’s Executive Order: Six Anthropologists Speak Out
Speaking of anthropologists fighting back, anthropological insight will only grow more important as xenophobia continues to seep into daily life.
What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Professor
Any undergraduate and graduate students reading this: Please. Respect. Your. Professors.
Ryan:
Surfing vs. the commodification of everything
Anthropology in an age of dangerous nonsense
Fake News has an enemy in the anthropologist.
About that takedown notice from the AAA
When you just want open access, but publishers keep you down:
The Resonance of Earth, Other Worlds, and Exoplanets
Resonance and how scientists and ethnographers are not antagonists like the public like to imagine the fields.
Uzma:
Hypothetical Archaeology: Knowledge Production in the Era of Alternative Facts
Cultural anthropologists are not the only ones who can fight alternative facts, archaeologists have just as much say in fighting fake news.
Artificially Intelligent, Genuinely a Person
As we creep toward the technological singularity, society will have to adapt to the ethical questions artificial intelligence poses to us.
Why Anthropologists Failed to Boycott Israeli Academic Institutions
As international movements continue to grow like the move to boycott Israeli academic institutions, institutions that support anthropologists will ultimately find ways to respond to new forms of activism.
Teaching Martin Luther King in Hawai‘i
Even outside of the history of anthropological theory, we can use texts like Letter from a Birmingham Jail that can inspire students to develop skills in critical thinking.
Looking at the intersections of environmental and medical anthropology, toxicity impacts entire communities. As the impact of capitalism, conflict, and climate change continue to seep toxins into our bodies and environment, how can anthropologists respond to these changes?
Whose Streets: Protest and Drifting
When streets are not only for getting to Point A and Point B, streets can be sites of resistance in a variety of situations.
As 2018 comes swinging by, I’ll have a personal bottle of champagne on midnight and have a toast to another year of great work from Anthro{dendum}.
Eddie Chong is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago in 2015. His research interests include migration, science and technology studies, and queer theory. Eventual graduate student.