Featured Archived
Seasons Episodes
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Announcement

After ten years of exploring humanity in all its diversity, SAPIENS has concluded its publishing chapter.

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.

Haunted by a Secret War

In a new book of ethnographic fiction on the lingering effects of the United States’ Secret War in Laos, the living must find ways to pacify the ghosts of those who suffered past violence.

The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis’ Double Standard

The warm welcome Ukrainian refugees have received from neighboring European countries contrasts sharply with the punitive treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers from the Middle East and Africa.

5 Questions About War Virtually

In this live event, anthropologist Roberto J. González will discuss his new book, War Virtually: The Quest to Automate Conflict, Militarize Data, and Predict the Future.

Requiem for a War Robot

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

Hard Water

A poet-anthropologist honors World Poetry Day with a piece that imagines alchemizing the suffering and devastation of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The Politics of “Ukraine” Versus “the Ukraine”

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

How Bureaucracy Conceals Obligations to Afghan Refugees

Tens of thousands of Afghans who helped the U.S. during a 20-year war were recently left behind in Afghanistan, despite promises to keep them safe. Anthropological research sheds light on how paperwork and logistics serve as convenient covers for the U.S. to escape its moral obligations.

Introducing the Other “AI”: Anthropology Intelligence
Anthropologist and journalist Gillian Tett explains the surprising ways anthropological methods and tools can help us better understand the contemporary world.
An Archaeologist on the Railroad of Death

The 1950s Hollywood movie The Bridge on the River Kwai, about a Japanese POW camp during World War II, nearly contained a fascinating side story about a dedicated archaeologist prisoner. Hendrik Robert van Heekeren deserves the spotlight.

How Sweat Lodge Ceremonies Heal War’s Wounds

After trying conventional treatments for PTSD, an anthropologist who is also a veteran stepped into the first of many Native American ceremonies for vets and emerged with much more than he initially expected.