Public Anthropologies

Decentralizing Energy

In this post, Myles Lennon and Douglas Rogers consider the promises and potential pitfalls of decentralized energy systems.

Cover the Earth: Reclaiming Life and Land through the Prism of a Green Aesthetic

In this post, Kath Weston pushes us to think beyond "green" forms of environmentalism.

Gender-Based Violence in the US

In this post, Sameena Mulla calls for an expanded understanding of gender-based violence in the US and our possible responses to it.

Held Back: The Reluctance to Adopt a Human Rights Approach to Education in the US

In this post, Amanda Walker Johnson explores why the US has struggled to achieve real equity in public education.

Infrastructures, Disposed (De-Provincializing Development)

In this post, Catherine Fennell explores the issues around developing and disposing of public infrastructure—and how people are affected by infrastructural decay.

Eradicating Poverty: Good for Humanity, Bad for the Planet? (De-Provincializing Development)

In this post, Gustav Peebles encourages us to use anthropological knowledge to devise more sustainable forms of consumption and production in response to SDG #12.

The Problem with Jobs (De-Provincializing Development)

In this installment, Ilana Gershon and Melissa Cefkin explore SDG #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, by asking what, exactly, counts as "decent work" these days, and how work-distribution platforms like Uber and TaskRabbit reflect, shape, and portend the future of employment in the United States.

Protecting Life Below Water by Zoe Todd (De-Provincializing Development Series)

In this post, Zoe Todd describes how humans are always embedded in watery worlds and notes the dangers of crafting sharp distinctions between aquatic worlds and terrestrial ones.

Fixing Hunger at its Roots by Garrett M. Broad (De-Provincializing Development Series)

In this post, Garrett Broad describes community-based efforts to combat food insecurity in the United States and the rising stakes of the current administration’s plans to roll back food assistance and nutrition programs.