Column / Conflicted

The world is, tragically, replete with conflict and violence. It is also full of claims so frequently repeated that we fail to adequately question them—that humans are inherently warlike, for instance, or that developing countries are more prone to war. “Conflicted” explores the many facets of human conflict, drawing insights from the frontlines of anthropological research.

Conflicted

Will U.S. University Students Spread COVID-19?

20 Jul 2020

Universities are planning to open across the United States with strategies based on fantasy documents and magical thinking.
Conflicted

Can Protestors Humanize the Police?

15 Jun 2020

An anthropologist asks whether U.S. police are people serving the people—or are anonymous drones of state violence.
Conflicted

COVID-19 and the Turn to Magical Thinking

12 May 2020

From bogus miracle cures and dangerous conspiracy theories to powerful shows of weaponry, across the globe, the coronavirus pandemic is evoking all manner of magical thinking.
Conflicted

The Problem of Imagining the Real

10 Apr 2020

One of the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis is taking serious action against a threat that seems so abstract and intangible.
Conflicted

What’s Wrong With “the Chinese Virus”?

23 Mar 2020

An anthropologist explores the controversial labels for COVID-19.
Conflicted

Why Targeting Heritage Is a Crime Against Humanity

16 Jan 2020

Trump’s threats to Iran’s cultural treasures are the latest in a long history of such tactics. Thousands of artistic and architectural marvels have been destroyed in wars—a travesty that must be stopped.