In a new book, an anthropologist with long-term ties to northeastern Japan shares stories of how fishing communities have continued…
Fair and Balanced—Weighing Coca With a Wipi in PeruAn Andean community’s use of weighing scales shows how meanings of fairness and justice differ across cultures. THE WIPI SCALE…
The Anthropology Professor in an Amazon WarehouseTo learn what conditions are really like for Amazon workers, an anthropologist has joined their ranks. ✽ My first day…
The Astounding Origins of Chaco Canyon TimberIn a nearly treeless desert, Ancestral Puebloans built Great Houses with more than 200,000 massive log beams. Where they got…
The Colonial Roots of Peru’s TroublesAn archaeologist traces the current protests in Peru to exploitive labor policies enacted in silver mines during Spanish colonial rule…
When Disaster Tests the Strength of Human CooperationIn the Andes, minga, a form of collective labor, has existed for centuries, often helping communities weather disasters. But how…
Fishing in the Shadow of OilIn the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, fishing communities have become part of a complex “assemblage” of human and…
With So Few Farmers, Why Are Video Games About Farming So Popular?An archaeologist considers what farming simulators reveal about humanity’s ancient and evolving relationship with agriculture. ✽ “I hate when I…
The Very Modern Problem of Human SlaveryAn estimated 40 million people are enslaved around the world. Raising awareness will help people move from victims to survivors.
America’s Postindustrial FuturesThe current administration’s controversial “America First” trade policies have tapped into a pervasive feeling of abandonment across the postindustrial United States. But not all former factory workers are interested in reviving American industry.