The settler colonial logic of elimination lives on in America. Due to systemic disparities in water, housing, food, and wealth, Indigenous communities are experiencing the COVID-19 crisis worse than the rest of the country.
Category: anthropology
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 example of such ingrained beliefs, reflects how our society’s everyday culture can continue a legacy of oppression.
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…
Moving beyond medicine: Using the social determinants of health to address public health disparities
Author’s note: This is the first post in a series in which I’ll write about international public health disparities and societal factors contributing to public health. In these posts, I’ll delve into my journey into the field of public health, specifically focusing on eye care/visual impairments in underprivileged communities, while describing my experiences along the way. Although the traditional approach…
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…