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A photograph features a square area of concrete tiling in a park’s center with bench seating around its perimeter. At the center of the square is a stone statue of a man’s bust covered in red paint.

To Decolonize, We Must End the World as We Know It

A contributor to a special series on decolonizing anthropology argues that true decolonization would require the complete dismantling of existing global power structures, including academic disciplines.
A photograph features a large body of water with a cityscape visible in the distance. On the left side, a person stands on a wooden pier near a white sign that reads: “PLEASE KEEP YOUR PIER CLEAN. USE TRASH CANS.”

Planting Seeds for a More Ethical Future

Three contributors to a special series reflect on why slowing down and building trust between community partners is fundamental to decolonizing anthropology—and our shared future.
A photograph features a dark scene with red light shining from the left to silhouette a crowd of people under an overhanging tree. In the center, a person wearing hoop earrings and a head wrap poses in front of a projected illustration of a person in a white dress and head wrap.

Centering Black Lives in the Study of Human Remains

A contributor to a special series on decolonizing anthropology reckons with bioarchaeology’s racist past by focusing on Black women’s creativity and everyday lives in her work.
A photograph features a large crowd inside an atrium holding up flyers emblazoned with capitalized red text that reads “Decolonize This Museum.”

Embracing the Poetry of Being Human

A contributor to a special series on decolonizing anthropology rejects the discipline's colonial and racist roots and instead pursues ways of doing science that center human liberation and possibility.
A photograph features the corner of a large bookcase filled with books. The books’ various multicolored covers evoke patterns common on African wax print fabrics.

Can Anthropology Be Decolonized?

In recent years, anthropology has increasingly reckoned with its colonial and racist roots. In a special forum, scholars weigh in on what “decolonizing” means—and share their visions for the future of the field.
One MMA fighter pounds another fighter who is limp, laying flat on the mat, while a referee attempts to intervene.

Why Are Humans Violent?

From fights over a parking space, to marauding bands of outlaws, to global conflicts, we seem to be a violent species. What lies behind these episodes?
One MMA fighter pounds another fighter who is limp, laying flat on the mat, while a referee attempts to intervene.

Could Group-Organized Violence Be Rooted in Empathy?

The evolution of empathy may have conferred both the advantage of mercy and the tradeoffs of killing.
One MMA fighter pounds another fighter who is limp, laying flat on the mat, while a referee attempts to intervene.

How Culture Allows for War and Peace

The evolution of uniquely human cognitive abilities gave us the means to wage war—as well as the capacity to avoid it.
One MMA fighter pounds another fighter who is limp, laying flat on the mat, while a referee attempts to intervene.

No One Right Way to Peace

International doctrines don’t always work as expected. In fact, some violence is stoked by the rules that are meant to suppress it.
One MMA fighter pounds another fighter who is limp, laying flat on the mat, while a referee attempts to intervene.

Compassion Sets Humans Apart

Much attention has focused on the apparent violence in humanity’s distant past. But evidence of kindness and care is much more widespread.
A gray ocean fades into a gray sky, with a few swimmers barely visible in the distance.

The Sexual Allure of Simplicity

Is the return to a simple life a “new” way to advertise our good qualities? An evolutionary perspective says yes.
A gray ocean fades into a gray sky, with a few swimmers barely visible in the distance.

The Good Old Days

The craving for simplicity comes from nostalgia for simpler times. But it is harmful to remember the past as “simple."
A gray ocean fades into a gray sky, with a few swimmers barely visible in the distance.

The Long Path to Enlightenment

The ancient Indian ascetic practice of detachment from worldly goods looks a little like modern simplicity—but appearances can be deceiving.
A gray ocean fades into a gray sky, with a few swimmers barely visible in the distance.

Minimalism Versus Simplicity

For the simplicity movement to effect meaningful social change, it needs to bridge the divides within.
A gray ocean fades into a gray sky, with a few swimmers barely visible in the distance.

Simplicity Is Essentially a State of Mind

To live more simply means getting off the treadmill of mindless consumerism.
Two people on paddle boards paddle off into a gray ocean covered by a gray sky.

Why We Yearn for the Simple Life

Six social scientists debate why philosophies of simplicity arise and endure, and why it can be so hard to live with and without stuff.