The Yaghan Rise Again

The Yaghan, Indigenous people in Tierra del Fuego, were falsely considered to be “extinct” by Europeans and their descendants. Now archaeologists are helping the contemporary community document their ancestors’ ancient stories.

Repatriation Is Our Future

In the SAPIENS podcast season 4 finale, listeners hear the story of Dr. Rachel Watkins and why repatriation matters for African American communities.

Predominantly White Institutions’ Overtures to Black Students OR This Is What They Tell You Without Telling You

A Black queer anthro-poet unveils the exploitative strategies of many predominantly White institutions that use BIPOC as a broom to sweep their racialized issues under the rug of “diversity.”

Transracial Adoption and the Limits of Love

A Korean adoptee and anthropologist reflects on how studying kinship made her rethink her own fraught family bonds.

The Politics of “Ukraine” Versus “the Ukraine”

In Russian, the difference between the terms “Ukraine” and “the Ukraine” is not just descriptive or geographical.

Untangling Race From Hair

One anthropologist has made it her mission to remove racial prejudices from the study of hair and find the evolutionary roots of hair diversity.

Reviving Huaycán—and the Community That Surrounds It

A small group of passionate young people, led by a local anthropologist, is organizing to protect an ancient site in Peru, and educate their community.

“Cowboys and Indians”—When Dirt Rocks Are Dynamite

A poet-anthropologist remembers how a popular childhood game reinforced notions of othering and hate—and reflects on how child’s play can set the stage for how we behave as adults.

At the Heart of It All

In the third episode of season 4 of the SAPIENS podcast, an archaeologist and community historian share the difficult stories of identifying and protecting unmarked graves at Indigenous boarding schools and a historic African American cemetery threatened by development.

A Lens on Cyprus Reunification

An anthropologist walks around the circumference of this Mediterranean island, photographing people separated by political conflict and reflecting on the ties that bind divided communities.