Betty White made a cameo in the first episode of season two in the hugely popular US sitcom Community, rocking the role of anthropology Professor June Bauer. Described by the writers and publicized by the Hollywood Reporter as “an esteemed, albeit slightly unhinged, anthropology professor,” Prof. Bauer typifies one widespread perception of anthropologists.
Ep#105 Podstudies: Dr Ian Cook on the Future of Academia & Podcasts
The Familiar Strange · Ep#105 Podstudies: Dr Ian Cook on the Future of Academia & Podcasts The podcast is back! We hope you haven't missed our dulcet tones too much! This week, we've challenged ourselves to be as meta as possible, with a podcast, about podcasting, released by an academic podcast! Try saying that after … Continue reading Ep#105 Podstudies: Dr Ian Cook on the Future of Academia & Podcasts
A Better Way to Namasté
Namasté is no longer just a pleasant Hindi greeting, but an English lexeme; a unit of language in the form of a word or phrase that has become an abstract representation of something other than its literal meaning. In this case, indexing a kind of white piousness that explicitly exoticizes and homogenizes South Asia into a caricature of disembodied Sanskrit words (like Ayurveda and Tantra), yoga poses, and “more authentic” religion all the while making unsubtle nods to imagined noble savagery and imitative ancient wisdom.
Lost in Quantification: The Microtechniques of Evaluation
“Look at the numbers!” Who hasn’t heard or even said that phrase during a debate? Does your company evaluate your work with performance indicators? We tend to take these indicators for granted, but things are not that simple.
Ep#104 We let ChatGPT write this title: “ChatGPT: The Future of AI-Assisted Conversations”
The Familiar Strange · Ep#104 We let ChatGPT write this title: ""ChatGPT: The Future of AI-Assisted Conversations" It’s been a while… We’re back, this time with Familiar Strange Emma leading a panel on AI and specifically Chat GPT. This week, Emma is joined by Familiar Strangers Matt and Sean to discuss some of the advancements … Continue reading Ep#104 We let ChatGPT write this title: “ChatGPT: The Future of AI-Assisted Conversations”
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Call for Submissions: Editors’ Forum on Popular Culture Representations of Anthropologists
We are excited to announce our very first “Editors’ Forum.” As part of this initiative, we are calling for blog submissions on the fascinating topic of “Popular Culture Representations of Anthropologists.”
Ep#103 Handwraps & Hijabs: Dr Jasmijn Rana on Kickboxing & Piety in the Netherlands
https://soundcloud.com/thefamiliarstrange/ep103-handwraps-hijabs/s-ZZRWhVqjk0r?si=6fd5ac88c0ee45f9a37bffe010f8abae&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Welcome back to the Familiar Strange. We’re kicking off 2023 with an interview with Dr Jasmijn Rana from Leiden University. Dr Jasmijn’s research interests include, gender, race-ethnicity, religion, embodiment and movement. Jasmijn is currently (2022-2023) a Marie-Sklodowska Curie Global Fellow at University of California, Berkeley. This week, Familiar Stranger Sean discusses Dr Rana’s latest … Continue reading Ep#103 Handwraps & Hijabs: Dr Jasmijn Rana on Kickboxing & Piety in the Netherlands
Teaching from the Textbooks: An Archaeology of the Current Historical Moment
On the last day of class, my advanced theory students would break up into small groups and each have the option of choosing one such old anthropology textbook from the box of them that I had selected from the shelf. They would then spend the next 15 to 20 minutes exploring the book (looking at the table of contents, skimming chapters, reading the introduction, etc.) in order to answer three basic questions...Truthfully, I have never had quite so much fun, nor gotten so much out of, teaching from a textbook.
Ep #102: Gender in the Mines & Anthro Origin Stories: This Month on TFS
The Familiar Strange · Ep #102: Gender in the Mines & Anthro Origin Stories: This Month on TFS We are back for 2023! This month we welcome our newest Familiar Stranger Nitya! Nitya has just finished their Master of Anthropology and is current doing some further work into Gender and mining. In this episode we … Continue reading Ep #102: Gender in the Mines & Anthro Origin Stories: This Month on TFS
Ep #101: When Anthropology Strikes Back: Strikes & Casualisation in Academia
The Familiar Strange · Ep #101: When Anthropology Strikes Back: Strikes & Casualisation in Academia This week we’re back for a really important panel. This week, Familiar Strangers Lachlan, Sean, Kath and Claire gather to discuss casualisation of academic jobs and the effects that strikes can have on workers rights. Some of the strangers are … Continue reading Ep #101: When Anthropology Strikes Back: Strikes & Casualisation in Academia
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