Circumcision and Human Rights
For both Jews and Muslims, circumcision is a religious and cultural practice. Within the last few weeks, Germany outlawed the practice of male circumcision for any but the strictest medical reasons. An atypical alliance of Jews and Muslims successfully challenged the German court's ruling and Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to make religious circumcision practices […]
Spirituality
Spirituality is not what it once was – that much is certain, according to anthropologist Peter van der Veer. Working at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen, he has examined the significance of the spiritual and its transformation processes in modern societies using the example of China […]
1950 report from the field, Malinowski’s ‘home’ village Omarakana
Did you read Malinowski in class? Did your professor ever ask you to submit a report from the field? Here is one, from Omarakana, the Trobriands, written in 1950. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/13882645/trobriand%20field%20report.pdf
Roots of Love: On Sikh Hair and Turban-Letter from filmmaker Harjant Gill
Dear friends and colleagues, This has been a painful week for all Sikhs living in the United States. Thank you to those who have reached out with your support to your local Sikh community. Most of our families are still trying to make sense of last weekend’s tragic shootings at the Sikh Temple in […]
Clutter and Stress
Jeanne Arnold talks to the Boston Globe about cluster, stress and he latest book: With the 21st century’s constantly evolving technological innovations and the wild success of bulk-shopping stores, our hoarding habits have gotten worse. Some of us feel like we’re drowning every time we take a moment to look around our homes. A recently […]
Images and video clips from the religious ritual at MetLife Stadium
Kieran Kesner, a photographer, attended the Jewish ritual at the MetLife Stadium. You can view his beautiful images and video clips at AMAGANSETT. I had never heard of Siyum HaShas. After a 6 hour drive on the morning of from Boston to NJ, I found myself immersed in the collective gathering of nearly 100,000 Jews. […]
Solidarity and Redemption at MetLife Stadium
Dr. David J. Landes is an anthropologist studying Orthodox Jewish culture. Last Wednesday David joined 90,000 orthodox Jews in a spectacular religious ritual at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. He shared his fascinating field notes with The Talmud Blog: Over the past several decades a new ritual has taken hold within the Orthodox community, […]
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture
Images by permission of Lewis museum 1) Growing Up AFRO exhibition, titled “What’s Your Excuse” (Caption: Anthony Anderson, Braven Sloane and Milton Brooks ask, "What's your Excuse?", Richmond, VA, Date unknown.) 2) Strength of the Mind Gallery Shot (Courtesy RFLM) 3) Museum building shot (Photo by James Singewald)
China and the Olympics
Anthropologist Susan Brownell studies sports and the Olympics: My question, "will the Olympics change China, or will China change the Olympics?" was really an attempt to prod my audiences to think about the bigger question of the implications for the developed West of China's rise, because Westerners seemed so concerned about the question of whether […]
In Memoriam, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, 1949-2012
In Memoriam, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, 1949-2012 http://anthropologyreport.com/in-memoriam-michel-rolph-trouillot-1949-2012/