A Grammar of Perseverance

Reflections on Race, Poverty and Violence in Orange, New Jersey It’s a muggy mid-June Saturday afternoon. A large inflatable moonwalk occupies the asphalt, and kids line up for a chance to ricochet into space. The elementary school grounds have been transformed into a block party with games, prizes and a movie-housestyle popcorn machine. I sit […]

“This is America” Reviewed

Introduction by Rylan Higgins On May 5, 2018, when actor and musical artist Donald Glover released “This is America” under his musical performance name Childish Gambino, it garnered an astonishing amount of attention. Soon after its release, the powerful and, for some, controversial music video became a global sensation. Its impact was especially explosive in […]

That Most Dangerous, Sacred American Space, the Bathroom

uncommon sense Spoiler alert: In Hitchcock’s masterpiece Psycho, Janet Leigh was not savagely murdered in the living room, but we’ll get to that. Culture wars can erupt anywhere, including in the bathroom. These spaces are personal. They really can be dangerous, nerve-wracking and threatening, but not for the reasons we hear on the media. Today’s […]

New Articulations of Biological Difference in the 21st Century: A Conversation

This conversation is prompted by continued frustration about how race is discussed and understood by the public and by those researchers who remain determined to draw clean lines around people who share particular physical characteristics. We make the case that knowledge of human evolution and population genetics should be a core aspect of “diversity requirements” […]

#EverythingMustFall: The Use of Social Media and Violent Protests in the Current Wave of Student Riots in South Africa

The past year has seen violent protests at most South African universities, where students have pursued the dual goals of free education and a decolonization of education. Severe dissatisfaction with everything from tuition fees, housing schemes, languages of instruction and symbolic tributes to colonial stalwarts have coalesced to produce a tense environment of conflicts and […]

Laughter is Social Glue

– After Ritu Khanduri, With apologies Laughter is social glue— When it escapes the blow is softened— The Brits did not know about Laughter Out of Place, said They, Those brown people, have no sense of fun, only satire and malice—Why can they not be happy we’ve won?   Laughter is social glue— It cements […]

Gina Athena Ulysse on Sandra Bland

In a piece on Africa is a Country titled “Meditation on Sandra Bland’s self-possession, The Beatles and neo-Black codes of conduct,“ anthropologist Gina Athena Ulysse reflects on Sandra Bland. “The image of Sandra Bland I cannot get out of my head is her selfie wearing a blue Beatles t-shirt. Besides being professional black women with […]

Riots, Rage and Populism: Voices from the Austere City

Pope Francis for President. It’s the latest provocation of Italian comedy sketches, but it generates bitter laughter. It speaks to the burgeoning lack of trust not only in traditional politicians, but also in political parties, mechanisms and institutions. It signals despair and disillusionment. There is reason to be concerned. Muhammad Shahzad Khan, a Pakistani resident, […]

Recalled to Life: On the Meaning and Power of a Die-In

Die-in at the 2014 annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association. Photo credit: Aries Dela CruzI have never died before. In the beginning of December, at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Washington, D.C., I made my way down to our hotel’s main lobby with a few of my friends, to join […]

Trademarking Racism: Pseudo-Indian Symbols and the Business of Professional Sports

In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a novel by the Spokane author Sherman Alexie, a basketball player at an all-White high school is the persistent target of racist slurs. “Chief” and “Tonto,” he is called, “Squaw boy” and “Redskin.” He also experiences the indignity of sharing the court with a caricature of […]