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Biased media: Are African Students Respected?

PRICILLA DE WET, Utropia, University of Tromsø, Norway

While watching TV within a circle of Norwegian friends and a Sudanese friend, a documentary about the living conditions in Sudan started. I couldn’t bear the look of disappointment on my Sudanese friend’s face. None of the world’s giant media companies ever dare to show such negative realities about their own countries, namely America and Europe.

The biased broadcasting of Africa by international media companies is of great concern to many Africans living in European countries. This kind of pessimism retards the progress of reaching our ethical goal as a world community for making the world a better place as it promotes disrespect for Africa’s peoples. >> continue

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Culture clash on campus: Is there a gap between Norwegian and international students? (Utropia)

PRICILLA DE WET, Utropia, University of Tromsø, Norway

While watching TV within a circle of Norwegian friends and a Sudanese friend, a documentary about the living conditions in Sudan started. I couldn’t bear the look of disappointment on my Sudanese friend’s…

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– Medias afrikadekning tar selvrespekten fra afrikanerne, bekrefter fordommer

Hvordan er det mulig å skape en bedre verden når mainstream-media bare viser fram de styggeste sider av Afrika? Afrikadekningen tar knekken på afrikanernes selvtillit, skriver Pricialla de Wet i Utropia, Tromsøstudentenes blad. de Wets får bekreftet poengene sine i undersøkelse om nordmennenes syn på utlandet som konkluderte med at “Nordmenn tror tilstanden i verdens utviklingsland er verre enn den faktisk er”.

Men medias hang til katastrofejournalistikk blir også utnyttet av snille solidaritetsorganisasjoner som gjerne overdriver for å vise hvor viktige de er og for å få penger i kassa – noe som ble kritisert av flere afrikanere på Globaliseringskonferansen i 2002 . Overfokusseringen av det negative bekrefter holdninger om “de andre” som de underlegne. En utfordring også for antropologer?

Hvordan er det mulig å skape en bedre verden når mainstream-media bare viser fram de styggeste sider av Afrika? Afrikadekningen tar knekken på afrikanernes selvtillit, skriver Pricialla de Wet i Utropia, Tromsøstudentenes blad. de Wets får bekreftet poengene sine i…

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I mayalandsbyen: Med jomfru Maria som ideal

Kilden, Forskningsrådet

En mannlig maya skal være macho og ha mange kjærester, både før og etter at han gifter seg. En kvinnelig maya som har sex før hun gifter seg, blir betraktet som en dårlig kvinne – og overfører dessuten samme status til sine kvinnelige slektninger.

Men mange års borgerkrig og større vekt på skolegang for jenter gjør at kvinnelige mayaer er i ferd med å ta skrittet ut av hjemmet, og inn på mennenes tradisjonelle arenaer, ifølge sosialantropolog Else Marie Stuenæs, som tilbrakte ni måneder i mayalandsbyen San Pedro la Laguna i Guatemala. >> les mer

Kilden, Forskningsrådet

En mannlig maya skal være macho og ha mange kjærester, både før og etter at han gifter seg. En kvinnelig maya som har sex før hun gifter seg, blir betraktet som en dårlig kvinne – og overfører dessuten samme…

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Anthropology of Food – one more Open Access Journal!

Obviously, there are more anthropological open access journals than supposed. Anthropology of Food is “a bilingual academic journal in French and English. It aims to publish results of latest research in Sociology and Anthropology of Food. This journal is produced and published by a network of European academic researchers sharing a common intellectual interest in the social science of food.”

There are articles on “The Culture of Milk in Argentina”, ” When We Eat What We Eat : Classifying Crispy Foods in Malaysian Tamil Cuisine”, “The Quest for Identities: Consumption of Wine in France”. Planned are issues on “Food, Religious groups and Conflicts of Norms and “Wine and globalisation” >> continue to the journal Anthropology of Food

Obviously, there are more anthropological open access journals than supposed. Anthropology of Food is "a bilingual academic journal in French and English. It aims to publish results of latest research in Sociology and Anthropology of Food. This journal is produced…

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Teamwork, Not Rivalry, Marks New Era in Research

Los Angeles Times / KTLA TV

Teamwork across departmental lines was once a rarity at the nation’s most prestigious universities. But the practice, usually known as interdisciplinary research, is spreading rapidly. They are teaming psychologists and anthropologists with economists, laboratory biologists with computer-modeling experts, and scientists who study the brain with humanities professors who explore music and art.

One of the main reasons for the surge in interdisciplinary research is the complexity of today’s crucial issues. “For any problem that has some importance today, you find that, really, it doesn’t fit neatly into biology or into chemistry or into law” said Roberto Peccei, UCLA’s vice chancellor for research.

Still, some experts say, the quality of some interdisciplinary research is questionable. In certain cases in the humanities and social sciences, “interdisciplinary work simply provides a home for misfits, malcontents, those who are anti-disciplines without being pro-anything,” said Howard Gardner, a Harvard Graduate School of Education professor studying interdisciplinary trends. (no longer available online)

>> read the whole article (pdf)

Los Angeles Times / KTLA TV

Teamwork across departmental lines was once a rarity at the nation's most prestigious universities. But the practice, usually known as interdisciplinary research, is spreading rapidly. They are teaming psychologists and anthropologists with economists, laboratory biologists…

Read more