anthropology in the news | antropologi.info

Ethnographic lecture confronts female gang myths

Published on February 21, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, books, fieldwork / methods, gender, Northern America, youth

The Lantern, Ohio State University

In a presentation titled “The Politics of Representation,” ethnographer Marie “Keta” Miranda addressed the general misrepresentation of gang members, but focused largely on women. She discussed the knowledge she gained through her ethnographic collaboration with Chicana youths in Oakland, Calif., published in the 2003 book “Homegirls in the Public Sphere”.

It is important to recognize that women in gangs do have agency and they do make significant decisions. She said the gangs she studied in northern California were unique because they consisted entirely of young women. Miranda stressed the need for people in power to change their approach in order to provide more understanding of subculture groups. >> continue

SEE ALSO:
Homegirls in the Public Sphere – Reviewed by Ramona Lee Pérez, New York University (Association of Feminist Anthropology)

The Lantern, Ohio State University

In a presentation titled "The Politics of Representation," ethnographer Marie "Keta" Miranda addressed the general misrepresentation of gang members, but focused largely on women. She discussed the knowledge she gained through her ethnographic collaboration with Chicana…

Burkina Faso: Thousands of migrants now living as strangers in their homeland

Published on February 20, 2005 by lorenz Posted in Africa, anthropology in the news, migration

ReliefWeb

More than 365,000 people have fled from violence in Cote d’Ivoire to safety in Burkina Faso over the last two years. However there are no haunting images of refugee camps, packed to overflowing with people who have lost everything. For the new arrivals are former Burkinabe migrants going home. They have simply melted into the villages and the countryside, taken in by relatives and in some cases, even strangers. They are refugees in their own country.

The number of Burkinabe migrants that poured out of Cote d’Ivoire is almost double the number of Darfur refugees that have spilled across the Sudanese border into Chad. But while overcrowded refugees camps in eastern Chad have repeatedly come under the spotlight, attracting generous international aid, Burkina Faso’s masses have largely fallen off the international community’s radar screen. >> continue

ReliefWeb

More than 365,000 people have fled from violence in Cote d'Ivoire to safety in Burkina Faso over the last two years. However there are no haunting images of refugee camps, packed to overflowing with people who have lost everything. For…

What does it mean to be Muslim in a secular society? Anthropologist thinks ahead

Published on February 20, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, books, Europe, migration, religion cosmology, Us and Them

The Daily Star Lebanon

Dounia Bouzar, an anthropologist and educator, spent two years working with 12 Muslim associations in France studying the different ways young Muslims approach their daily life. Her newest book, “Monsieur Islam n’existe pas; Pour une desislamisation des debats” (Mr. Islam doesn’t exist; de-islamisizing the discussions), is one of several publications just out in France that examine “la France Musulmane,” or Muslim France. Part of the goal in her new book is to show just how diverse the community is.

Discrimination is still a big problem in France and Bouzar feels it’s important to look for the reasons why a percentage of young Muslims feel the need to look abroad for guidance – a relatively new phenomenon. >> continue (link updated)

The Daily Star Lebanon

Anthropologist shoots down stereotypes about gun enthusiasts (Book review)

Published on February 18, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, books, culture traditions, Northern America

Reason / Find articles

Shooters: Myths and Realities of America’s Gun Cultures, by Abigail A. Kohn, New Fork: Oxford University Press, 224 pages, $29.95

Abigail A. Kohn calls Shooters an ethnography, an anthropological study conducted from within a culture to gain the “natives’ point of view.” Rather than studying gun enthusiasts though literature and statistics, or from behind a duck blind to ensure “objectivity,” Kohn spent time with enthusiasts, interviewing them, taking classes with them, and shooting with them.

The result is a fascinating look into the world(s) of gun enthusiasm that puts real, human faces on a gun debate dominated by antiseptic statistics and abstract principles. After reading Shooters, you’ll wonder why no one has done such a study before. The omission may stem from the typical attitude toward guns among academics, which Kohn addresses in her preface. >> continue

>> read the Introduction at amazon

Reason / Find articles

Shooters: Myths and Realities of America's Gun Cultures, by Abigail A. Kohn, New Fork: Oxford University Press, 224 pages, $29.95

Abigail A. Kohn calls Shooters an ethnography, an anthropological study conducted from within a culture to gain the…

Anthroscope – a new anthropological radio show

Published on February 15, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, Open Access Anthropology and Knowledge Sharing

The Oracle

Created by Professor S. Elizabeth Bird as a means of promoting an anthropological perspective in the local community, the pilot broadcast of Anthroscope, a radio call-in show hosted by University of South Florida’s Department of Anthropology, was well received, eliciting feedback from several people.

Bird’s guests on the program were associate professor Lorena Madrigal and professor Susan Greenbaum. An urban anthropologist, Greenbaum talked about the negative effects of inner-city redevelopment. Madrigal, a biological anthropologist, discussed her views on evolution and creationism.

Bird said the purpose of the radio program is to address anthropological issues that have a direct relation to people’s lives. She said later topics might include the obesity epidemic in America and ethical issues regarding the ownership of Native American remains. >> continue

The Oracle

Created by Professor S. Elizabeth Bird as a means of promoting an anthropological perspective in the local community, the pilot broadcast of Anthroscope, a radio call-in show hosted by University of South Florida's Department of Anthropology, was well received,…