The “Born-Free” Generation
visual essay In 1994, South Africa celebrated its first universal elections. The event marked the end of apartheid, the institutionalized system of racial segregation that characterized the country for almost 50 years. I was born in South Africa just one year prior to this historical event. As a consequence, I am a member of the […]
Jubilation During Trying Times: Carnival in Guinea-Bissau
~ an essay with photos ~ For decades, the small West African country of Guinea-Bissau has been plagued by coups, misrule, political instability and non-existent infrastructures. It is often described as a failed state, a narco-state, a volatile country, a collapsed economy. Since its independence from Portugal in 1974, none of its elected leaders have ever completed a […]
Perpetual War
Perpetual War Text by Katherine T. McCaffrey. Photos by Bonnie Donohue. Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, is home to 107 abandoned military bunkers, a legacy of the U.S. naval presence on the island. Designed to contain ammunition and high explosives, the bunkers were constructed during the build up to WWII, when the German threat to the […]
Haiti Photography Project: a quick seven day experiment
Technology for development projects (T4D) typically import expensive and unsustainable equipment when trying to improve a situation. The one laptop per child project is an example of a typical T4D kind of initiative. Although its laptops are, for the world of laptops, inexpensive, their cost is still prohibitive in the places where they are deployed. […]
The Endless Bus Trip: a Visual Essay
The Endless Bus Trip is a visual essay about Korean and Chinese immigrants living in Flushing, Queens, who ride casino buses as a way of life. Twice a day, immigrants wait at unmarked bus stops along the crowded downtown streets to buy $15 bus tickets from New York City to the Sands Casino and Resort […]
Feature Preview: The Sound of Silence
Look for the full essay with additional photos in the September 2014 issue of Anthropology Now. by Maria Frederika Malmström In this new project, part of an extensive study about materiality, affect and transformative politics in Egypt, I explore the absence of sound in the floating landscape of Egypt. Scholars have discussed the role of […]
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. […]