The problem with the representation of various forms of female circumcision as ‘mutilation’ is that the term, among other things, presupposes some irreversible and serious harm. This is not supported by current medical research on female circumcision. (s… more »

Have you been in an anthropology class / course with more men then women? I haven't. In both Norway, Germany and Switzerland (pluss many other places incl South Africa, I heard), the gender balance between men and women is around 25-75. Eli Thorkelson, g… more »

How do you study wrestling as an anthropologist? By becoming a wrestler yourself! Heather Levi's book The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity is featured in the new issue of American Ethnography on Lucha libre - Mexi… more »

What is it like being veiled and working in Australian companies? Anthropologist Siham Ouazzif sent me her thesis "Veiled Muslim Women in Australian Public Space: How do Veiled Women Express their Presence and Interact in the Workplace?" Siham Ouazz… more »

Anthropology student Lykke Bjørnøy sent me an article on homosexuality and islam that she wrote as part of her studies at the University of Cairo. She tries to understand why homosexuality often is demonized. Not only in Islam, but also in Christianity (… more »

How do middle-class women in Calcutta understand and experience economic change? What impact is globalization having on the new middle-classes in Asia? Our reviewer Tessa Valo has again been lucky with her choice of books. For antropologi.info, she revie… more »

How does everyday life change when electricity becomes available to people in a village in Zanzibar, East Africa, for the first time? Anthropologist Tanja Winther answers this question in her new book The Impact of Electricity. Development, Desires and D… more »

“Why are you, with your impeccable credentials, studying nude dancing?” “I am an anthropologist. Anthropologists study human behavior”, answered Judith Lynne Hanna when she did her field work on striptease clubs. Hoochy Coochy Dancing and Fantasy Love is… more »