anthropology in the news | antropologi.info

Introduction to “Media Worlds”: Media an important field for anthropology

Published on April 25, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, media, persons and theories

anthropologist Andrea Ben Lassoued, zerzaust

In their introduction to “Media Worlds” Ginsburg, Abu-Lughod and Larkin argue, that the anthropology of media is an important field of study, as the “ubiquity of media worldwide means, that anthropologists encounter it in the diverse places where we work.” They think that media anthropology will be able to advance theory and method in both anthropology itself and nearby fields that are concerend with the study of media. What anthropolgy can contribute to the study of media is a global, comparative perspecitve. >> continue to her post (incl many related links!)

anthropologist Andrea Ben Lassoued, zerzaust

In their introduction to "Media Worlds" Ginsburg, Abu-Lughod and Larkin argue, that the anthropology of media is an important field of study, as the "ubiquity of media worldwide means, that anthropologists encounter it in the diverse…

Greenpeace activists & Sami reindeer herders want to stop the logging of forests

Published on April 22, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Arctic / Northern Regions, ecology nature, indigenous people / minorities, Saami

Six Degrees, Finnland

Greenpeace have set up a Forest Rescue Station in Finnish Lapland to stop the logging of forests used as natural pastures by Sami reindeer herders. This action also highlights outstanding disputes concerning the land rights of the indigenous Sami in Finland. Finland is home to about 7,500 Sami.

The Sami understandably ask why the government and Finnish NGOs always seem to be ready to defend the rights of indigenous peoples in faraway countries, while failing to uphold the rights of Europe’s last first nation in their own country. This winter the Finnish government-owned forestry organisation Metsahallitus announced plans to log state-owned forests where the Sami graze their reindeer, against the wishes of local reindeer herders’ co-operatives and environmental groups. >> continue (updated link)

SEE ALSO:
The Sámi of Far Northern Europe (ArcticCircle)

Six Degrees, Finnland

Inuit leader wins environment prize

Published on April 20, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Arctic / Northern Regions, ecology nature, indigenous people / minorities, inuit

Canadian Inuit leader Sheila Watt-Cloutier won the 2005 Sophia environment prize Wednesday for drawing attention to the impact of climate change and pollution on the traditional lifestyles of the Arctic’s indigenous people and others. Ms. Watt-Cloutier, born in Nunavik, Que., and raised in a traditional Inuit family, has been the chairwoman of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference for the past decade. Last year’s winner, Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai, went on to win the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. >> continue

Open source movement is like things anthropologists have studied for a long time

Published on April 18, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, gift economy gift giving, technology, Us and Them

Jill Walker (University of Bergen, Norway) reports from a seminar I’ve missed to attend:

Lars Risan is the first speaker at the network seminar I’m at in Oslo. Don’t you love the idea of code as sacrament? Lars is an anthropologist, and he starts his talk by saying that actually, what we see in the open source movement is a lot like things anthropologists have studied for a long time. >> continue

Jill Walker (University of Bergen, Norway) reports from a seminar I've missed to attend:

Lars Risan is the first speaker at the network seminar I’m at in Oslo. Don’t you love the idea of code as sacrament? Lars is an anthropologist,…

UPDATED: Ethnographic Study on "Digital Kids"

Published on April 17, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, fieldwork / methods, media, technology, youth

Linux Electronics

A University of California, Berkeley, professor is spearheading a team just awarded $3.3 million to study “digital kids.” The study will document how youth from ages 10 to 20 are using new digital media to create and exchange knowledge, assess how these phenomena affect learning, and encourage use of its conclusions for the improvement of schools.

Principal investigators include anthropologist Mizuko Ito, who has studied youths’ use of digital media in the United States and Japan.

Half of the ethnographic study’s research sites will be online and include the use of blogs, new online play sites such as Neopets and online games. The other half will include sites like libraries, community centers, game centers and after-school programs that have digital media. >> continue

UPDATE: Judd Antin (University of California Berkeley!) has more information. He writes – among others: “There is practically no research on how youth in the United States use, perceive, and value ICTs. It’s a gigantic gap. We aim to fill it. (..) Educational technology has been stagnant since about 1990. There have been practically no new developments in teaching software. Through our study we hope to provide the ammunition to develop educational software that works, and which capitalizes on the new, digital, networked environment in which many kids are growing up. >> continue
He also points to the research project’s homepage

LINKS UPDATED 5.1.2023

Linux Electronics

A University of California, Berkeley, professor is spearheading a team just awarded $3.3 million to study "digital kids." The study will document how youth from ages 10 to 20 are using new digital media to create and exchange knowledge,…