The Familiar Strange · Ep #69 An Anthropologist's Guide To The US Elections: This Month on TFS Hello and Welcome back to The Familiar Strange! We are so happy to be back and we can’t wait to keep talking strange with you all! We’re kicking off this new season with a panel with Familiar Strangers, … Continue reading Ep #69 An Anthropologist’s Guide to the US Elections: This Month on TFS
Trump
“It’s a lot of sand”: An anthropological take on Trump’s Syrian withdrawal
That Syria has “a lot of sand” is meant to stand in for its lack of value. As a place that is sandy, it is not worth US lives; good enough for less valued Syrians and Russians but not good enough for Americans ... But it also got me thinking about a more fundamental question. Why is it that we, in the Anglo-American world, devalue ‘sand’?
#Dis-comfortable
Author: Julia Brown There are few human conditions that people fear or misunderstand more than schizophrenia, and it is likely to be the 'uncomfortable' and 'unknown' factors that make most people turn away from it. Unless you have considered the condition philosophically or experienced it directly or through other people, you might, at best, label it as … Continue reading #Dis-comfortable
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?
Trump Misunderstands Iran
Most of us will have seen over the past few days images of refugees, green card holders, and travellers, arriving in US airports only to be told that they have been denied entry on the basis of President Trump’s executive order banning entry to citizens of Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Iran. The … Continue reading Trump Misunderstands Iran
Getting Iran right: The myopia of Trump’s Muslim visa ban
Author: Simon Theobald Most of us will have seen over the past few days images of refugees, green card holders, and travellers, arriving in US airports only to be told that they have been denied entry on the basis of President Trump’s executive order banning entry to citizens of Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia … Continue reading Getting Iran right: The myopia of Trump’s Muslim visa ban
Me & Anthropology at the Dawn of Trump
I deluded myself into thinking that Barack Obama had, at the least, embodied an inclusive and affable leadership style. I did not question whether his gregariousness would appeal to everyone. Nor did I realise how many he left behind trying to peddle democratic values in a corrupt system. I am also guilty of romanticising the … Continue reading Me & Anthropology at the Dawn of Trump
Anthropology at the dawn of Trump: some introspection from Canberra
Author: Julia Brown I deluded myself into thinking that Barack Obama had, at the least, embodied an inclusive and affable leadership style. I did not question whether his gregariousness would appeal to everyone, nor did I realise how many he left behind trying to peddle democratic values in a corrupt system. I am also guilty … Continue reading Anthropology at the dawn of Trump: some introspection from Canberra
The Familiar Strange 