While the magazine has closed, its living archive endures—open to all and preserving the many ideas, voices, and discoveries that deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.
An anthropologist offers a lens on how losses from war dramatically alter a family—and a society. ✽ BEFORE I FORMALLY…
What Vietnam’s Scarred Lands Reveal About Modern WarfareFifty years on, Vietnam is still reckoning with the long-term ecological toll of U.S. warfare—a grim warning as Israel and…
Uncovering an Archaeology of U.S. Empire in PanamaAn anthropologist investigates how archaeology helped the U.S. colonize the Panama Canal Zone—just as the current U.S. government threatens to…
EarwormA poet-anthropologist listens to an accidental field recording from Kashmir: What might be dismissed as noise becomes a way to…
Reclaiming Collective Life in a Fractured U.S.After Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election win, an anthropologist set out across the U.S. to understand the nation’s deepening divides.…
Ancient Tools in East Asia Reveal Middle Paleolithic InnovationAn archaeologist explains his team’s insights into how Quina scrapers in southwest China overturn long-standing assumptions about the region’s humans…
Why Are People Worshipping the Virgin Mary as a Goddess?Amid a goddess worship revival, some feminists are revering the mother of Jesus as a deity, defying Christian doctrines and…
How Virtual Reality Is Restoring Liberia’s CultureTraveling Treasures is a new project led by a team of anthropologists that puts Liberians directly in touch with their…
In Japan, Rethinking What It Means to Care for the DeadFacing an increasing aging population and other societal shifts, people are looking beyond traditional family-based mortuary practices. ✽ It’s August…
Huh? The Valuable Role of InterjectionsUtterances like “um,” “wow,” and “mm-hmm” aren’t garbage, they keep conversations flowing. This article was originally published at Knowable Magazine…
