As biotechnology advances the horizons of human potential, our species has gained the power to manipulate life to its most fundamental building blocks. With this power comes a responsibility to wield it with ethical and moral standards: Can we responsibly manipulate the natural world for our own ends? When we do so, will the technologies we develop be equitable and…
Category: Anthropology
Investigating COVID-19 health disparities in Indigenous communities [Podcast]
Author’s note: At Anthro Analyst, we often analyze societal issues about public health from an anthropological perspective. In doing so, we try to provide unique insight into global public health trends and offer unique commentary from the perspective of high-school students. This is the second episode of our podcast which provides us a great platform to discuss anthropological ideas in…
How Columbus Day perpetuates a silent legacy of settler colonialism
Today’s movement advancing racial justice and social equality has led many to ponder America’s colonial history as well. Tangible artifacts of settler colonialism present themselves all around us, from the lands upon which our cities were built to the museums that display relics of tribal communities. Yet, other artifacts operate on a more sinister, subconscious level. Columbus Day, a prime…
How coronavirus has affected human cultures and religions around the world [Podcast]
Author’s note: At Anthro Analyst, we often analyze societal issues about public health from an anthropological perspective. In doing so, we try to provide unique insight into global public health trends and offer unique commentary from the perspective of high-school students. This is the first episode of our podcast which provides us a great platform to discuss anthropological ideas in…
Xenophobic narratives surrounding the coronavirus have spread as quickly as the deadly disease itself
Last Updated: 2/28/2020, 9:42 PM CST – Section on Chinese wildlife consumption. In the last few weeks, the coronavirus, officially termed COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), has infected thousands around the world. As of February 27th, it has been responsible for almost 3,000 deaths and more than 80,000 cases over 50 countries. Escalating from a few isolated cases…
Culture clash: Examining global trends of society, culture, and leadership during periods of global turmoil
Author’s note: This post is the fourth part of a series discussing ideas from Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century. To read the previous post, click here. Undoubtedly, the World War II era was one of the most violent and turbulent eras in history. Resulting in…
Eugenics, intelligence, and superiority: How quantifying human value created a history of invisible violence
Author’s note: This post is the third part of a series discussing ideas from Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century. To read the previous post, click here. Human intelligence and creativity are truly amazing phenomena, unique to us among billions of species. Indeed, these two traits…
How museums today reflect an ethnological shift away from societal hierarchy
Author’s note: This post is the second part of a series discussing ideas from Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century. To read the first post, click here. Museums—Torchlit hallways. Beautiful sculptures. Timeless artifacts. What’s not to love? From yellowing journals from the 16th century to dinosaur…
The timeless influence of cultural relativism on society today
Author’s note: This post is the first part of a series discussing ideas from Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists. I am looking forward to discuss cultural anthropology on this blog! The field of cultural anthropology was born almost 150 years ago, and since then, it has been influential in today’s societal perceptions of race,…
The Neolithic Revolution: How did societies around the world come into existence?
Are you an anthropology nerd? If you’re anything like me, you might have pondered the origins of humankind over a bowl of cereal, absorbed in episodes of Civilizations. How did our society come to be? This very question has intrigued historians for centuries. Sure, we evolved from our primate ancestors into the Homo sapiens of today (read our previous post…