Diary for September 2010

Thursday 2nd September- Film Night at Birkbeck Cinema

Dochouse in collaboration with Birkbeck College Cinema are hosting three film screenings tonight at Birkbeck's Cinema, 43 Gordon Square, London. The three films include: The Last Rites by Yasmine Kabir; La Chirola by Diego Mondaca and Shelter in Place by Zed Nelson. Descriptions and details of all three films can be found here. The film screenings start at 6:30pm and are free but a voluntary donation of £5 would be greatly appreciated.





Friday 3rd September- Mugabe's Victims: Zimbabwe Today

Prisoners of Conscience (PoC) is a UK charity that works to help individuals who have been persecuted for their beliefs. PoC is hosting a photo exhibition by an award-winning photographer, who took great risks to travel anonymously in Zimbabwe in the summer of 2009. The exhibition focuses on victims of persecution and political violence in Zimbabwe, and is being held at the Menier Gallery 51, Southwark Street London. The exhibition will run until the 11th September. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.





Wednesday 8th September- 37 Uses for a Dead Sheep

Tonight at the BFI at 6pm there will be a film screening of Ben Hopkin's film 37 Uses for a Dead Sheep (Winner of the Basil Wright Film Prize 2007). The film documents the past and present existence of the Pamir Kirghiz, a tribe of some 2000 people from the Pamir region of Central Asia. For the last 27 years they have lived in exile in Eastern Turkey. In 2005 an Anglo-Turkish film crew arrives in their village to work with their tribe and help them tell their story. To find out more about the film, take a look at this film review and an online interview with the film maker. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Ben Hopkins and costs £5 to enter. Visit the following website to book your place.



Friday 10th September- The Way of Tea

Today from 14:00pm-15:00pm in Room 92 there will be a free demonstration of the Japanese tea ceremony at the British Museum's Japanese galleries. Anthropologists' fascination with tea culture in Japan has resulted in numerous ethnographies and books about the subject. An interesting and recent publication is Japanese Tea Culture: Art, History and Practise Edited by: Morgan Pitelka (Routledge Curzon, 2005). For those curious to try an assortment of Japanese tea at home, the Algerian Coffee Shop on Old Compton Street in London is a great place to purchase tea and coffee from around the world.





Saturday 11th -12th September- Rivers around the World

As part of the Thames River Festival2010, the British Council's Connecting Classrooms project links schools and 2,000 young people through art and research projects exploring rivers in their cities. Working with professional artists they produce artworks for public display which are exhibited along the banks of the River Thames and in the participating cities. Every year three new countries join the collaboration and it is estimated that there will be 17 countries participating by 2012. For more information visit this website.



Tuesday 14th September- British Science Festival

Running until the 19th of September, the British Science Festival will be held in Birmingham this year. The festival incorporates workshops, talks, hands-on experiments and school activities related to science, technology and engineering. Each year the Royal Anthropological Institute participates in the festival's Education Programme. This year, the RAI film department will be screening Hugh Brody's Film The Meaning of Life. Take a look at this website for a detailed programme of the festival.




Wednesday 15th September- Past to present: a dialogue about nutrition

The Centre for History in Public Health and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) Archives have organised a one day conference today entitled 'Nutrition and History in the Twentieth Century'. The conference brings together historians, archivists and members of the LSHTM's nutrition unit together to talk about food policies, diet and famine. A draft programme is available here. The closing date for registration is 3rd of September. To register visit the following website.




Thursday 16th September- Wales Anthropology Day

Similar to the London Anthropology Day, the Wales Anthropology Day is a free open day for teachers, students and the general public who are interested in learning more about what it is like to study anthropology at university. On the day, participants will be able to take part in a series of workshops run by University of Lampeter staff and talk to students currently studying anthropology. To find out more and book your free place visit the following website.



Saturday 18th September- A Conference on Basketry Conservation

The Icon Ethnography Group in cooperation with the Royal Botnaic Gardens, Kew is hosting a one day conference today looking at the conservation, construction and collection care issues of basketry. Speakers from national and international museums and instituteions will cover issues such as the role of conservators in collaboration with indigenous communities and the practical conscerns regarding conservation of objects of cultural heritage. For a list of the conference programme and registration visit this website. Registration is £25 for students/concessions, £45 for members and £65 for non-members.



Monday 20th September- Exploring Africa

Sir Wilferd Thesiger (1910-2003) was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and lived there for 9 years until his family returned to England in 1919. Deemed one of Britain's greatest explorers of the 20th century, Sir Wilfred spent fifty years living and exploring remote places mostly in East and North Africa. He undertook political service in Sudan, river explorations, journeys through Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and explorations in Kenya and Tanzania. The Pitt River's exhibition is the first to epxlore his lifleong relationship with Africa. The exhibition includes a wide selection of his photographs and objects which were collected during his travels. The exhibition is also accompanied by a major new publication, Wilfred Thesiger in Africa. The exhibition is free and open to all.






Tuesday 21st September- Radical Anthropology Group

Tonight Christ Knight will be giving a brief introduction to evening classes on anthropology run by the Radical Anthropology Group. Take a look here to find out more about the topics covered in the evening classes. The introduction will take place at St. Martin's Community Centre from 18:00pm- 21:00pm. Visit the RAG's website for more information.









Saturday 25th September- A Journey to China

The British Museum's China Now legacy project is now on tour at the Manchester Museum. The exhibition combines everyday objects from life in modern day Wuhan, Manchester's sister city in China, alongside historical artifacts that span 3,000 years of history and culture. The exhibition is free and runs until June 2011.











Sunday 26th September- Eid Festival in London

Organised by Muslim groups and the Mayor of London, the Eid Festival marks the end of Ramadan and a month of fasting. The festival is a chance for Muslims and those of any faith to come together and experience the cultural diversity of Islam through art, music, performance and poetry. The event is free and open to all.




ONGOING:


The controversial art of representation...

Melville J. Herskovits (1859-1963) was a pioneering and controversial American anthropologist who played a prominent role in shaping African Studies as a distinct discipline. Herskovits's academic work was both influential and controversial and still emerges in on-going debates on questions of identity and representation. Herkovits at the Heart of Blackness is a documentary which tracks the development of Hervokits's career in relation to African American and Jewish experiences of exile, political oppression and exclusion. The film gives a critical review of anthropologist's role in representing and documenting other societies. Take a look at a preview of the film here.


Small Places Large Issues

The third edition of Thomas Eriksen's book is now available. Small Places Large Issues has become a classic for introduction to social anthropology for undergraduate students as well as those who are new to anthropology. It gives an excellent overview of topics such as kinship, ethinicity, ritual and political systems. The new edition has updated information and has increased emphasis on the interdependence between societies. Take a look here for other introductory texts to social anthropology.







Anthropology Education

The September issue of the American Anthropological Association's official newspaper Anthropology News is entirely devoted to topics concerning anthropology and education. The issue includes articles on pre-university education, online courses, pedagogical standards and assessment models and much more. Take a look here for more information.