Can you engage in the present moment and let go of your other concerns while not engaged in a) an activity that demands all your attention, or b) under the influence of any drugs, or c) taking a sick day? Reading this might be a start, but hardly enough to free yourself from the pull … Continue reading Are You Living in Haste?
Everyday Anthropology
It’s Not Just Your Parents’ Fault
Did you know that your mind is a cesspit of anger, and fear, and unresolved moments from your childhood? It’s not just you. Apparently everyone is living in a minefield of emotional triggers and traps. And underlying all of your behavior is a completely individualized personality structure, built up from stray comments and the subtle … Continue reading It’s Not Just Your Parents’ Fault
In Agreement with Krista Tippett
While sitting in the audience at a live Krista Tippett talk recently, I found myself in strong visceral agreement with words that I hadn't anticipated would arrest me so much. Already a fan of Tippett’s for the ease at which she converses with people about challenging topics, I hadn’t really thought about potential vocational crossovers … Continue reading In Agreement with Krista Tippett
Australian Families: Who’s Counting?
I’m writing a chapter at the moment for The Research Handbook of Global Families (due out in 2019 - stay tuned!), which is, in essence, about how families cope, adapt and sometimes collapse when they find themselves internationally ‘on the move’. As I’ve been writing it, I’ve been quizzing friends and colleagues about how they … Continue reading Australian Families: Who’s Counting?
Just ‘Cause You Feel It, Doesn’t Mean…
I once went with my mum to have our Auras read. We were living in Malaysia and curious about traditional healing practices. Our individual Chakras revealed some energy blockages. Of course, the sincere beliefs of one person can tap into another’s vulnerability or tendency toward superstition; we walked out with an excessive amount of Tourmaline … Continue reading Just ‘Cause You Feel It, Doesn’t Mean…
Outsource Your Adulting
My life reached a whole new level of weird recently. I signed up to a fortnightly subscription for deodorant delivery. My husband and I, as busy, professional DINKs1 (sort of – I’m on a PhD scholarship, but still, there are two of us) outsource a lot of our adulting responsibilities – we’ve been taking advantage of … Continue reading Outsource Your Adulting
Ethnographers vs ‘Tourists’
Anthropologists love to compare themselves to tourists. Nothing more confirms the merit of anthropology and its commitment to ‘in-depth’ fieldwork than the cultural missteps of globetrotters – especially wealthy Western ones – as they bumble through quagmires of etiquette and faux pas in the act of rubbing up against foreign cultures across the world. Anthropologists … Continue reading Ethnographers vs ‘Tourists’
Academic Jargon & Knowledge Exclusion
Author: Alex Di Giorgio, PhD Candidate in Anthropology at the University of Tasmania and Research Assistant for Larrakia Nation I remember my first year of university as being an introduction to the big bad world of academic writing. Taking home my first reading brick - back when they still existed – I was faced with … Continue reading Academic Jargon & Knowledge Exclusion
Is Art the Limit of Embracing the Uncomfortable?
In today's polarising political climate, exacerbated by preferences for quick answers, it is becoming harder to appreciate the messiness of life. Except when we go to art galleries or find ourselves on a therapist's couch. Why can't we appreciate our discomfort anywhere else? There are few human conditions that people fear or misunderstand more than … Continue reading Is Art the Limit of Embracing the Uncomfortable?
Experiencing Multiculturalism: When is Diversity, Diverse?
Growing up in middle class Australia, concepts of tolerance, respect, and the abstract celebration of diversity were part and parcel of my family’s commitment to multiculturalism as a social principle. People were different – and that was A Good Thing. After all, if we were all the same it would be well, pretty boring. In … Continue reading Experiencing Multiculturalism: When is Diversity, Diverse?
The Familiar Strange 