Anthropology Magazine
New stories
90 Years Since Its Discovery, a Stone Age Human Still Holds Lessons
A paleoanthropologist reflects on England’s oldest human cranium—and what its changing interpretations say about science.
Following the Life of an Abandoned Bull in Nepal
A visual anthropologist explores how divine cattle collide with urban realities in Kathmandu, revealing contradictions between ancient values and contemporary lifeways.
The Sacred Heartbeat at Houston Pride
An anthropologist participates in the Houston Pride Parade, offering dance, music, and prayer with others to counter intensifying oppression faced by queer and Latine communities.
The Politics of Mourning After Itaewon
After the deadly 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, South Korea faced a failure of prevention—and mourning. A group of anthropologists explores how grief was managed, marginalized, and ultimately erased, raising questions about who we remember and why.
Expanding worlds by exploring everything human.
Spotlight
MAPPING MEANING
Encontrar pegadas deixadas no início dos tempos
Na Amazônia brasileira, uma arqueóloga com formação universitária e o povo indígena Wajãpi entendem as marcas do passado de forma diferente—mas sua parceria rende frutos para ambos.
How Did We Ever Live Without GPS?
GPS is everywhere these days, but if it suddenly disappeared all would not be lost: We’ve been making cognitive maps for eons.
Indigenous Mapmaking, or Bringing a Dead Map to Life
In a new book, an anthropologist explores how oil palm plantations in West Papua are upending Indigenous Marind communities' ways of life. In this excerpt, Marind villagers call upon their plant and animal kin to confront a map used by the oil palm industry.
Sapiens activity
With the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, the SAPIENS Public Scholars Training Fellowship program guides anthropologists on accessible writing and podcasting for nonacademic audiences.
SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human, the magazine’s podcast, speaks with anthropologists from around the globe to help us uncover what makes us human.
Anthropological poems have the potential to transform ways of thinking and being in the world.
SAPIENS teaching units offer an opportunity to use the magazine's content in the classroom, alongside additional resources, to enrich the teaching and learning experience.
Learn how to write for general audiences with the SAPIENS Public Writing Training Program, a self-directed course.
EXPLORE ANTHROPOLOGY
ASK SAPIENSThe broad field of anthropology studies “everything human,” focusing on what makes different people human in their own distinctive ways.
What Is Anthropology?
The broad field of anthropology is the science of humanity that studies “everything human,” focusing on what makes different people human in their own distinctive ways.
What Is Linguistic Anthropology?
Linguistic anthropologists study language in context, revealing how people’s ways of communicating and expressing themselves interact with human culture, history, politics, identity, and much more.
What Is Cultural Anthropology?
Cultural anthropologists seek to understand the dizzyingly diverse ways people live today, including how they think, act, create, struggle, make meaning, and organize their societies.
What Do Archaeologists Do?
Archaeologists use a wide variety of methods to explore a fascinating range of topics about human history, culture, and behavior. Here’s an overview of the ways archaeologists preserve heritage and how you can work in this field.
Podcast
OpenNEW: SEASON 8
All stories
Dreamscapes of Refusal: A Chorus
SAPIENS poet-in-residence for 2025 listens to a chorus of dreams in her field recordings from Kashmir.
The Cost of Cutting Anthropology Out of U.S. National Parks
A former National Park Service anthropologist reflects on the vital role of cultural anthropology to the agency’s mission—and what might be lost if the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding and staffing continue.
Ukrainian Volunteers Weave Camouflage and Care
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainians have been gathering to support the war effort by creating camouflage nets for fighters on the frontlines.
When Women Say “Ta-Ta” to Ta-Tas
An anthropologist fighting cancer navigates the social pressure to get breast reconstruction after a mastectomy.
In Human Origins Research, Communities Are the Missing Link
A paleoanthropologist reflects on relationships between researchers and communities living around sites relevant to human evolution.
Cold-Water Swimming Brings New Life to Aging Bodies
A researcher dips into life at a community pool in Cambridge, England, to find out why so many people over 60 are finding joy and pleasure in a cold-water swim.
Surveillance and Suspicion From the Margins
A Venezuelan anthropologist reflects on distrust he felt from residents of informal settlements in Santiago, Chile—and how his experiences track global trends of fearing outsiders.
Surveillance et suspicion depuis les marges
Un anthropologue vénézuélien réfléchit sur la méfiance qu'il a ressentie de la part des habitants des quartiers informels de Santiago, au Chili—et à la manière dont ses expériences reflètent les tendances mondiales à craindre les étrangers.
Vigilância e suspeita nas margens
Um antropólogo venezuelano reflete sobre a desconfiança que sentiu por parte dos moradores de assentamentos informais em Santiago, no Chile—e como suas experiências acompanham as tendências globais de medo dos estrangeiros.
The Power of Mistrust
A group of anthropologists working in Indonesia explores how mistrust among on-demand drivers—toward companies and one another—can be a form of individual power.
The Day I Heard My Mother’s Accent
In a personal essay, an anthropologist reflects on her family’s dual Syrian and French heritage.
The Myth of “Risk-Free” Gold
An anthropologist unpacks how colonial histories and racial and class hierarchies shape who is allowed to desire and accumulate gold today.
El mito del oro “libre de riesgo”
Una antropóloga analiza cómo la historia colonial y las jerarquías raciales y de clase determinan quién puede desear y acumular oro en la actualidad.
Reclaiming Tanzania’s Deep Past—Together
A U.S. archaeologist reflects on the power of community-driven research in Tanzania to include local voices and reshape how the story of human origins is told.
When Tiger Conservation Overlooks Human Lives
An anthropologist looks at how tiger conservation efforts in the Sundarbans region of West Bengal appear successful yet often ignore the needs and rights of forest-dwelling communities.
Archaeological Fiction and a Scientist’s Dilemma
An archaeologist reflects on the role of fiction, such as The Clan of the Cave Bear, to imagine the deep past—and inspire future generations of archaeologists.
The Many Lives of a Face Mask
An anthropologist explores how the COVID-19–era surgical face mask went from a health precaution to a fashion choice among women in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Listening to Murmurs
Through her field recordings, SAPIENS poet-in-residence for 2025 listens to murmurings of clay, debris, and time in Kashmir’s Tsaar.
In Zambia, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Chinese Migrants Find Common Ground
In many parts of Africa, investments and migration from China have sparked tensions with local residents—but some Chinese migrants are finding a welcoming community in Mandarin-speaking Zambian Witness congregations.
En Zambie, les Témoins de Jéhovah et les migrants chinois trouvent un terrain d’entente
Dans de nombreuses régions d'Afrique, les investissements et les migrations en provenance de Chine ont suscité des tensions avec les populations locales—mais certains migrants chinois trouvent une communauté d'accueil au sein des congrégations zambiennes de Témoins de Jéhovah qui parlent mandarin.
Na Zâmbia, as Testemunhas de Jeová e os migrantes chineses encontram pontos em comum
Em muitas partes da África, os investimentos e a migração da China provocaram tensões com os residentes locais—mas alguns migrantes chineses estão encontrando uma comunidade acolhedora nas congregações zambianas de língua mandarim da Testemunha de Jeová.
En Zambia, los testigos de Jehová y los migrantes chinos encuentran puntos en común
En muchas partes de África, las inversiones y la migración procedentes de China han provocado tensiones con los residentes locales —pero algunos migrantes chinos están encontrando una comunidad acogedora en las congregaciones de testigos de Jehová de Zambia que hablan mandarín—.
When People—and Files—Talk Back to Bureaucracy
Two ethnographic filmmakers enter the government maze in India, documenting how citizens make claims on the state while imagining alternate bureaucratic encounters.
The Tangled Roots of Corruption in Today’s South Africa
A legal scholar turned anthropologist connects South Africa’s colonial and apartheid past to corruption she witnesses while shadowing parole officers.
Las enredadas raíces de la corrupción en la Sudáfrica actual
Una jurista convertida en antropóloga relaciona el pasado colonial y del apartheid de Sudáfrica con la corrupción que observa mientras acompaña a los agentes policiales que supervisan a quienes se encuentran en libertad condicional.
Les racines complexes de la corruption en Afrique du Sud
Une juriste devenue anthropologue fait le lien entre le passé colonial et l'apartheid de l'Afrique du Sud et la corruption dont elle est témoin lorsqu'elle suit des agents de probation.
As raízes emaranhadas da corrupção na África do Sul atual
Uma jurista convertida em antropóloga conecta o passado colonial e do apartheid da África do Sul à corrupção que ela testemunha enquanto acompanha agentes de liberdade condicional.
Salt and Paper in Bureaucratic Jerusalem
As all-out genocidal violence against Palestinians continues in Gaza, an anthropologist calls attention to how the Israeli state operates through quieter, bureaucratic means to displace and dispossess Palestinians living in East Jerusalem.
Sal y papel en la Jerusalén burocrática
Mientras continúa la violencia genocida contra los palestinos en Gaza, un antropólogo llama la atención sobre cómo el Estado israelí opera de forma más silenciosa y burocrática para desplazar y despojar a los palestinos que viven en Jerusalén Este.
Feeding Community When Government Aid Runs Dry
As Argentina’s economic crisis worsens, an anthropologist discusses the biological consequences of inadequate food—and why the country’s community kitchens need support.
Nourrir la communauté lorsque l’aide gouvernementale vient à manquer
Alors que la crise économique s'aggrave en Argentine, une anthropologue évoque les conséquences biologiques d'une alimentation insuffisante —et pourquoi les cuisines communautaires du pays ont besoin d'aide.
Como alimentar a comunidade quando a ajuda do governo se esgota
À medida que a crise econômica da Argentina se agrava, uma antropóloga discute as consequências biológicas da alimentação inadequada—e por que as cozinhas comunitárias do país precisam de apoio.