This week the strangers are joined by Kathryn Allan! Kathryn is currently completing her PhD at the school of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University. Her research focuses on stateless persons, refugees, and asylum seekers. She is also regional president of Amnesty international of NSW and ACT. Welcome Kathryn! 

In this episode, Kathryn kicks us off by asking the Strangers about activism and anthropology. She poses questions around the issues that arise from the interplay between being an advocate and activist and being an anthropologist. Kathryn, asks questions around representation and amplification of the voices that matter and what we as anthropologists can do to participate in activism in a way that does minimal harm. What do you think? Is there a place for activism in anthropology? 

Next, Joe discusses the COP26 Conference held in Glasgow recently. He asks questions about activism and specifically addresses the foreign minister of Tuvalu’s address to the summit. Joe breaks down how it is that people become “humanitarian victims”  which leads to discussions around refugees and worthiness. What do you think? How do you think people should respond to crises such as climate change or asylum seeking? 

Don’t forget to head over to our Facebook group The Familiar Strange Chats. Let’s keep talking strange, together!

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Our Patreon can be found at www.patreon.com/thefamiliarstrange

This anthropology podcast is supported by the Australian Anthropological Society, the ANU’s College of Asia and the Pacific and College of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Australian Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, and is produced in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association.

Links and Citations 

If you wanted to learn more about Kathryn’s research, check out her work here: 

https://archanth.cass.anu.edu.au/people/ms-kathryn-allan

If you were interested in seeing the address by the Foreign Minister of Tuvalu: 

Music by Pete Dabro: dabro1.bandcamp.com
Shownotes by Matthew Phung
Podcast edited by Joe Clifford & Matthew Phung
Feature image “cop26, glasgow” by Mckee, Francis (2021)
https://flic.kr/p/2mGz3UB