Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform - In responding to the Ebola epidemic, local religious leaders, such as those shown here from Forécariah prefecture (Guinea) near Sierra Leone, allied with international public health workers to help disseminate information about prevention.

Can Social Scientists Help Control Epidemics?

New collaborative efforts, such as the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform, are allowing anthropologists and other scholars to help align public health efforts with the on-the-ground knowledge and lived experience of people facing epidemics.
winter solstice celebrations - The El Castillo step pyramid (center) is part of the Chichén Itzá archaeological site in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Why Winter Solstice Celebrations Persist

On the shortest, darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, people draw strength from traditions that help them celebrate the gradual return of light.
Mixed-Income Housing - The Plan for Transformation brought new mixed-income developments to Chicago, such as those shown here, as a novel solution to public housing.

Are Mixed-Income Neighborhoods the Best Answer for Public Housing?

An anthropologist documents the social tolls of new mixed-income developments while also acknowledging the gains.
new languages

Where Do “New” Languages Come From?

Anthropologists and linguists are working to understand how complex systems of communication emerge—and what they reveal about how to keep rare or threatened languages alive.

A Belated Homecoming for Missing U.S. Marines

Archaeologists at Florida's History Flight have dedicated themselves to a singular quest: finding lost World War II servicemen and bringing them home.
postindustrial world - Steel mills were the economic backbone of many cities across the Midwest and Northeast until the 1980s. When the industry left, former workers not only took a hit economically—they also felt displaced and suffered disillusionment and a loss of identity.

Life and Death After the Steel Mills

In her study of a community devastated by industry's flight, anthropologist Christine Walley raises questions about how to create and support meaningful work in a postindustrial world.
Rwandan genocide rescuers - During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, more than 800,000 people were slaughtered over 100 days. Amid the chaos there were heroes—those who put their own lives on the line to save others during the massacre.

In a Genocide, Who Are the Morally Upright?

A Georgia State anthropologist explores what motivated rescuers during the Rwandan genocide—and what their stories reveal about courage and selflessness in the midst of total destruction.
Stones with names of towns and villages, where the victims came from, are seen on the grounds of the former German Nazi Death Camp Treblinka.

The Darkest Truths

After the Nazis' three so-called Operation Reinhard camps swallowed more than a million and a half Jewish lives, the camps were themselves destroyed. Forensic archaeologists are finally exploring what lies beneath the earth—but not without resistance.