The Strange Rites of Celebrity
A brush with Jesse Eisenberg—anxious Hollywood star, intellectual, and advocate of anthropology—spurred one anthropologist to ponder the culture of celebrity.
Stranger Lands
-
-
How Halloween Has Traveled the Globe
Whether trick-or-treating in the United States or costume play celebrations in Japan, Allhallows Eve has taken many forms as its traditions travel the world.
-
The Myth of Badass Sperm
We’ve all been taught that human fertilization is an Olympic-style competition. The truth is that it’s much more like a gigantic lottery.
-
Why Political Ambiguity Appeals to the Masses
A movement in 1990s India illuminates the allure of vagueness from our leaders.
-
Meet Archaeology’s Beer Can Man
One scholar has found in the humble, rusty beer can a trusty time capsule.
-
Why Do We Wrap Presents?
Wrapping paper is a striptease that hides and reveals, transforming otherwise ordinary objects into gifts.