anthropology in the news | antropologi.info

Tearing down those knowledge walls. Knowledge cannot be curtailed and has to be freely available

Published on August 10, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Open Access Anthropology and Knowledge Sharing, University / Academia

Another great article on the Open Access philosophy, written by Shankar Iyer in the Financial Expressvia del.icio.us)

“The big question on everyone’s mind is, “Why would someone open source an idea that they obviously struggled to work so hard for?” Open sourcing your innovation to the community doesn’t imply bankruptcy. In fact, open sourcing an idea invites “immediate” attention and sparks community interest. And when this interest reaches the brim, the services and support opportunities that exist around that knowledge just explode, allowing the innovator to not just make money – but give birth to a whole new economy. (…) The very success of science in the last 2500 years has been due to the open publication and peer review of scientific results. (…) I am of the firm belief that money should never be made at the expense of restricting knowledge and innovation”

>> continue

Another great article on the Open Access philosophy, written by Shankar Iyer in the Financial Expressvia del.icio.us)

"The big question on everyone's mind is, "Why would someone open source an idea that they obviously struggled to work so hard for?"…

On the Roots of Ethnic Music: Identity and Global Romanticism – Open Access Musicology Journal

Published on August 10, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, journal articles / papers, music

Tellef Kvifte, Popular Musicology Online

Folk music and popular music represent in many ways two distinct cultural spheres with few contact points. The ‘folk’ in the folk music tradition are a construct of the national romantic era, usually referring to peasants, living close to nature, while the folk of the ‘popular’ are more constructs of urban and modern society.

Given the fundamental differences in ideology one finds here, it may be surprising to find a strong alliance between the two groups. What I have in mind here is that of ‘world music’, ethno pop’, ‘ethnic wave’ or, as I call it, ‘global romanticism’. >> continue

PS: Popular Musicology Online publishes papers in fulltext online. It “is published exclusively online and is a free, un-funded academic resource available to scholarly and general public readerships with an interest in debates on popular music” and is edited by Stan Hawkins, Department of Musicology, University of Oslo, Norway.

Tellef Kvifte, Popular Musicology Online

Folk music and popular music represent in many ways two distinct cultural spheres with few contact points. The 'folk' in the folk music tradition are a construct of the national romantic era, usually referring to peasants,…

To provide better services at the library: Another anthropologist is studying college students

Published on August 10, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, applied anthropology, design anthropology, fieldwork / methods, technology, University / Academia

“Rebekah Nathan” isn’t the only anthropologist who is studying students.

The article in Democrat & Chronicle starts like this (quite typically for journalists who are somehow puzzeled by recent changes in anthropology)

On and off for two years, anthropologist Nancy Foster lived with and observed the Wapishana, an indigenous tribe in Guyana and northern Brazil whose members live as hunters, farmers and fishermen. Now she’s studying a group nearly as exotic — college students.

And it goes on:

Employing the same methods numerous companies use to study their workers, University of Rochester’s River Campus library system is dissecting how its students live and work. The goal is to figure out ways of making the library more accessible to them for research papers and other projects.

The work comes on the heels of a similar study led by Foster of UR faculty to see how they used the library, particularly its online offerings. The result was that UR faculty now have personalized pages on the library’s UR Research Web site — it being a repository of various studies and papers done by faculty.

PS: We read about the possible consequences of this research. Students might be able to send an instant message to a reference librarian with questions. Something similar is already possible at the public library in Oslo. You can send sms and chat with librarians, see here

www.biblioteksvar.no/en/

"Rebekah Nathan" isn't the only anthropologist who is studying students.

The article in Democrat & Chronicle starts like this (quite typically for journalists who are somehow puzzeled by recent changes in anthropology)

On and off for two years, anthropologist Nancy Foster…

Indigenous Peoples’ Day: New Universities for a Multicultural Mexico

Published on August 10, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, development empowerment, indigenous people / minorities, Latin- and Central America, Native American

IPS

– Seven intercultural universities in Mexico are going a long way towards preserving the historical and cultural roots of the country’s indigenous community, which comprises more than 10 percent of the country’s 106 million people. The universities are dedicated to promoting alternatives for the development and integration of Mexico’s 62 native ethnic groups. One is the new intercultural university in the impoverished southern state of Chiapas, where the Zapatista guerrillas staged an uprising in January 1994. >> continue

IPS

- Seven intercultural universities in Mexico are going a long way towards preserving the historical and cultural roots of the country's indigenous community, which comprises more than 10 percent of the country's 106 million people. The universities are dedicated to…

Thesis: Participant observation on a Rastafari discussion forum on the internet

Published on August 9, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, cyberanthropology, internet, journal articles / papers, Us and Them

Norwegian anthropologist Christian Stokke has published his thesis “Unlearning White Superiority. Consciousness-raising on an online Rastafari Reasoning Forum” in full length. From his introduction:

The ensuing interracial dialogues on racism are the main focus of my thesis. Most whites define racism as prejudice and discrimination, and suggest good intentions and “colorblindness” as a solution, while Blacks define it in terms of group dominance, structural inequality and cultural hegemony. Black Rastas point out that whites tend to show dominating behavior in the discussions, and see this as a reflection of a “white superiority complex.” Black Rastas consistently confront whites and hold them responsible for their conduct, although it is usually unintended and unconscious. Through this confrontation, many whites become aware of their taken-for-granted ‘white privilege’ and start “unlearning white superiority.”

>> download the thesis (pdf, 788kb)

Norwegian anthropologist Christian Stokke has published his thesis "Unlearning White Superiority. Consciousness-raising on an online Rastafari Reasoning Forum" in full length. From his introduction:

The ensuing interracial dialogues on racism are the main focus of my thesis. Most whites define racism…