Requiem for a War Robot

An anthropologist explores the brave new world of virtual warfare—and the fraught relationship between humans and machines.

#MeToo Anthropology and the Case Against Harvard

When anthropologist John Comaroff at Harvard University was put on unpaid leave for allegations of sexual misconduct, a network of colleagues rallied to support him—revealing how entrenched systems in academia often allow sexual violence and other power-based abuse to continue.

“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.

The Emotional Logic of a Black Poetics: Truth, Metaphor, Beauty, Joy

In this free live event, SAPIENS poet-in-residence for 2020–2021 Justin D. Wright celebrates the end of their residency with a discussion of Black poetics and anthropological poetry.

Lessons We Learn

An anthropologist-poet of the African diaspora holds close family lessons on identity, freedom, and relationship in the midst of an anti-Black society.

Riot

A poet-bioarchaeologist of the African diaspora spotlights the aims of protestors who rise up against anti-Black violence, injustice, and white supremacy.

Middle Ground

A poet-bioarchaeologist of the African diaspora confronts echoes of the Middle Passage in contemporary anti-Black environments.

Are We So Different?

A poet-anthropologist of the African diaspora responds to anti-Black racism and the question of race.

They’ll Steal Your Eyes, They’ll Steal Your Teeth

In a fictionalized story based on long-term ethnographic research, an anthropologist of the African diaspora interrogates a history of colonialism, exploitation, racial inequality, power, and types of local talk in Madagascar.

When Asked if the World Would End They Answer No

An Indigenous anthropologist-poet visits Woody Island in Alaska, formerly the site of the Kodiak Baptist Orphanage in the early 20th-century, where her great-grandfather lived before being sent to the Carlisle Indian School.