Welcome back to the Familiar Strange! 

This week is Familiar Stranger Ruonan’s first panel as a host! We think she did pretty well! Ruonan is joined this week by Familiar Strangers Alex, Andy and Irina! 

Alex starts us off by telling us he is leaving us! But one thing he’ll miss (aside from the other familiar strangers of course) is the numerous bushwalking or hiking tracks that are around the ANU. He reflects on how bushwalking or hiking has become a new marker for the middle class and the other strangers reflect on what hiking represents.  What do you think? When does a walk become a hike? Is it just semantics? 

Then, Irina raises the big question of “who are you? Who decides who you are?” A big question for a short podcast! The strangers dive into what that question means for them and their respective field sites, as well as anthropology as a whole. What do you think defines someone? Why do you define yourself the way you do? 

It was a really thought provoking conversation this week and we had a lot of fun recording in person again. We hope you enjoy! 

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

If you like what we do and are in a position to do so, you can help us to keep making content by supporting us through Patreon.

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.

Music by Pete Dabro: dabro1.bandcamp.com
Shownotes by Matthew Phung
Podcast edited by Ruonan Chen and Matthew Phung

Feature Image: “A Beautiful Day for Reception” by Meshkin , Krocky (2014)
https://flic.kr/p/no1SxF