A blog published by the Anthropology and Environment Society, a section of the American Anthropological Association
Perhaps something has occurred in the history of the concept of structure that could be called an “event.” (Derrida 1978:278) Circumstances are extraordinary. Days are like weeks. Spring arrives, but the streets are empty. An abundance of caution overwhelms all plans. We reach out in darkness for a wall to walk along. The problem is […]
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By Maira Hayat, Stanford University § In 2015, local elections were held in Pakistan, ten years after the previous ones in 2005 during General Pervez Musharraf’s military rule. Local government elections have long been associated in Pakistan with military rule. For instance, attempts at “controlled democracy” such as General Ayub Khan’s, ushered in by the […]
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By Hannah Eisler Burnett, University of Chicago § This is a photo essay about the way people cultivate visions of speculative territory and historical landscapes. But in southern Louisiana, if you want to get to the land, you first have to get through the water. In autumn of 2018, the breeze was humid and thick. […]
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By Talia Gordon, University of Chicago § A future full of possibilities starts by drinking pure quality water – Nestlé “Pure Life®” Bottled Water In October 2018, Mayor Karen Weaver delivered her third State of the City Address to a public audience scattered among the rows of the recently refurbished Capitol Theater in downtown Flint. […]
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By Allison Kendra, Stanford University § Its leaves burst forth slowly from thin, shrubby branches. Every three months they mature, every three months they are pulled by hard-working hands, leaving marks of green and raw flesh, and over time, calluses, on the palms that pull them, slashed across between the pointer finger and thumb, where […]
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By Meredith Root-Bernstein, AgroParisTech, INRA § This blog post is adapted from a paper given at “Anthropology Off Earth,” Collège de France and l’Observatoire de Paris, 4-5 June 2019 “What is life?” is a foundational question for both biology and anthropology. It seems unavoidable if we want to ask how life emerged on Earth, what […]
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By Gebby Keny, Rice University § Blue Carbon “The trick is to step with your right foot before your left foot touches the ground.” Offered with a knowing smile and scalding-hot bowl of blended mudskipper soup, this seasoned mudflat fisherman’s advice would prove vital as my fellow tidal mudflat ecology researchers and I ventured out […]
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