“Socially-Constructed” Does Not Mean “Not Real:” Knowledge-Making and the Meaning of Subjectivity in the Social Sciences

In any kind of research, there is more than one way to interpret what we are observing. The Positivist intent though, would be to find the “correct” interpretation that would lead one to the objective, universal truth, discarding all other interpretations as the useless results of human bias, error, and preconception. But what if, instead, we stopped searching for the One Truth (which may or may not even exist, and even if it does, humans might not be able to directly access it) and began to view truths as plural. That each piece of knowledge we gain is really a part of something larger, with a whole picture that only begins to come into focus the more of these partial truths we amass and fit together.

World Anthropology Day with Dr Noel Salazar

The Familiar Strange · World Anthropology Day With Dr Noel Salazar The Strangers are Back... To celebrate this world anthropology day, we're back with a very special interview. This week Sean Heath sat down with Noel B. Salazar, Professor of Anthropology at KU Leuven to discuss the celebration of Anthropology Day(s). Their conversation covered the … Continue reading World Anthropology Day with Dr Noel Salazar

Ep#110: Brooms Not Cutlasses: Guyana’s Histories with Dr Oneka LaBennett

The Familiar Strange · Ep#110: Brooms Not Cutlases: Guyana’s Histories with Dr Oneka LaBennett In this episode Familiar Stranger Emma Quilty sat down with Associate Professor Oneka LaBennett to talk about her most recent book, Global Guyana: Shaping Race, Gender, and Environment in the Caribbean and Beyond.   Global Guyana develops a powerful set of heuristics … Continue reading Ep#110: Brooms Not Cutlasses: Guyana’s Histories with Dr Oneka LaBennett

Ep#109: Bittersweet Stories from Fiji with Dr Tarryn Phillips and Edward Narain

https://soundcloud.com/thefamiliarstrange/ep107-bittersweet-stories/s-ypb6wv7jImj?si=ed6c91095baf4866878caee7be61817d&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing In this episode Familiar Stranger sat down with Fijian author and political analyst Edward Narain and Associate Professor Tarryn Philips from La Trobe University. Together Edward and Tarryn published Sugar: An Ethnographic Novel which reveals the extent to which the lives, health, and opportunities of Fijians are still dramatically affected by the country’s colonial … Continue reading Ep#109: Bittersweet Stories from Fiji with Dr Tarryn Phillips and Edward Narain

Ep#108:Walking vs Hiking and Who You Are.

https://soundcloud.com/thefamiliarstrange/ep108walking-vs-hiking-and-who-you-are/s-Dyk4FlN0ccA?si=3cd64a6d1f0545258e1688becaefe85d&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Producer’s note: Hi everyone, Executive Producer Matt here, just wanted to slide in here quickly and say that we recorded this panel a while ago, so you might hear some familiar voices! Just wanted to say a quick thank you to Irina, Andrew, Ruonan and Alex for all their effort in recording this panel! … Continue reading Ep#108:Walking vs Hiking and Who You Are.

A Memory, But Not Remembered

What lay inside a box of ashes certainly used to be a person, but one who had now been reduced to an object. A person-object, if you will. No culture, not even mine, is indifferent to human remains. Kin or foe, valorized or denied, dehumanized or objectified, we still have to come to some decision about what to do with what remains. And so, I am obliged, once more, to find a place for my father in my life.

Net Zero & Bullsh*t: Corporate Sustainability Metrics with Dr Matthew Archer

The Familiar Strange · Ep107# Net Zero & Bullsh*t: Corporate Sustainability Metrics with Dr Matthew Archer This week Emma Quilty sat down with Matthew Archer, Assistant Professor at Maastricht University to discuss his brand new NYU Press book Unsustainable: Measurement, Reporting, and the Limits of Corporate Sustainability. In this brilliant and incisive new book, Matthew … Continue reading Net Zero & Bullsh*t: Corporate Sustainability Metrics with Dr Matthew Archer

Noah, the Slave Pirate: On Manuals and the Indispensability of Anthropologists 

The juxtaposition between reliance on Noah’s anthropological skills and the presumed lack of relevance this discipline has to broader society ultimately makes for good comedy. Reading the subtext in this relationship we see the value which Noah brings. Without Noah’s anthropological skills, Archer would never be Pirate King. I would even go so far as to suggest that Noah’s anthropological training, including his linguistic skills, are why he alone, amongst the rest of his research vessel crew, is alive, and still enslaved by the pirates.

Ep#106: MeTooAnthro and the Witch Hunt trope

The Familiar Strange · Ep#106: MeTooAnthro and the Witch Hunt trope Trigger Warning: Please note that this episode makes mention of Sexual Assault and sexual violence. In this episode we walk about MeToo anthropology from the lens of fieldwork and within the academy itself.  Familiar Stranger Emma Quilty sat down with anthropologists Holly Walters and … Continue reading Ep#106: MeTooAnthro and the Witch Hunt trope