Diary for June 2010

TUESDAY 8th JUNE-Call for Films!

Aspekty is a yearly festival of visual anthropology which takes place in Poland and which aims to show the various relationships between phenomena, human interaction and diversity within and amongst cultures through the visual medium. The festival is currently looking for ethnographic or documentary films to be submitted. Films that are submitted must have been completed after 2005. For more information and to download a submission form, visit http://aspektyfestival.pl/en



WEDNESDAY 9th JUNE- The Human Costs of Black Gold

The Environment, Politics & Development Research Group of King's College London will host its Annual Lecture today at Kings College London. Professor Michael Watts (University of California, Berkley) will be delivering a lecture entitled the Permanent Frontier: A Political Ecology of Insurgency. Over the last decade Professor Watt's research activities have focused on the political ecology of oil in West Africa, his most recent book is 'The Curse of the Black Gold: Fifty Years of Oil in the Niger Delta' . The lecture will take place in the Geography Department of Kings College, Room S-2.08 2nd basement, Strand Building, Strand Campus. The lecture will begin at 5:30pm. The event is free and all are welcome. To book your place email: delphine.pejchert@kcl.ac.uk



THURSDAY 10th JUNE-Object-Image-Memory

Today marks the fist day of a three part seminar organised by the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Oxford Academy of Documentary Film aimed at people over 65 who are interested to learn about digital film cameras and would like to capture some of their memories on film. For more information and to book a place you can pick up a form at the information desk or email: alison@oadf.co.uk





THURSDAY 10th JUNE- SKIN

Today marks the first day of the Welcome Collection's exhibition on skin. Skin is the largest organ on the human body, but it wasn't studied as an organ in its own right until the 20th century. The Welcome exhibition looks at the history of skin through medical drawings, paintings and anatomical models. Participants are able to handle skin-flap models used in plastic surgery and try on latex suits. A series of events and a tattoo contest form part of the exhibition. The exhibition is free. Everyone welcome. For more information visit this website.




FRIDAY 11th JUNE- The Morality of Giving and Receiving

Today from 10:30am-12:3pm at LSE's Seligman Library A607 (Old Building), Professor Katy Gardner (University of Sussex) will be giving a lecture entitlted: The Oil Company, 'Partnership' and the morality of giving and receiving. Since 2008 Katy has been working on a project funded by ESRC/Dfid on Mining, Livelihoods and Social Networks in Bangladesh. This has involved returning to her original fieldwork village in Bangladesh, where a multinational company is currently mining natural gas. The project investigates the relationships between transnational migration, global capitalism and resistance, plus multinational policies and practices of 'Corporate Social Responsibility'.





FRIDAY 11th JUNE- Shifting Sands Musical Performance

The Shifting Sands project is a new British Council initiative that aims to explore the musical roots of the United Kingdom and the Middle East as part of an ongoing creative collaboration. Tonight there will be two free performances held at the Southbank Centre from 6pm-8:45pm. Artists include Andy Mellon, Brendan Kelly and Pete Flood from Bellowhead, UK folk's rising star Sam Carter, Middle Eastern music specialist Giles Lewin and one of Scotland's most innovative musicians, Corrina Hewat. For more information visit this website.











FRIDAY 11th JUNE- Human Rights and Visual Culture

The Birkbeck Institute for Social Reserach & Birkbeck Institute for Humanities have come together to provide an event where scholars, campaigners and practitioners can share ideas and experience on the role of visual media in the formation of human rights politics and practices. The event is in collaboration with the Centre for Media, Culture and Creative Practice . It takes place in at Birkbeck in Room B04 from 10:00-5:00pm and is free and open to all. Registration by email is essential. To book your place email Julia Eisner at j.eisner@bbk.ac.uk










SATURDAY12th JUNE- A Day to Learn About Music

Following on from Friday's Shifting Sands concert, is a full day workshop aimed at advanced musicians (aged 16 and over) with an interest in traditional music of all cultures. The day will involve a talk about different music instruments and traditions, followed by a practical workshop session, and as a finale the groups get to perform together in front of 2000 people on the Meltdown band stage in the Southbank Clore Ballroom. For more information and to book your free place email: shiftingsands@southbankcentre.co.uk





MONDAY 14th JUNE- Recycling Textile Technologies

Today at UCL there will be a full day interdisciplinary workshop (9:30am-5pm) exploring the relationships between people and things, raw materials and technologies and the rise of entrepreneurs and innovators in different social contexts. The workshop brings together the work and experience of geographers, anthropologists, historians, designers, waste consultants and consumer researchers. Admission (including refreshments and lunch) is £25 waged and £18 unwaged or student. To book your place email Julie Botticello at ucsajbo@ucl.ac.uk




TUESDAY 15th JUNE- The Creative City after the Crash

Today at the Manchester Museum there will be a CRESC seminar looking at the arts scene and urban cultures of Manchester. An interdisciplinary range of scholars, local policy actors and leading representatives of the arts in the city, will speak about how they envisage the future of cutting edge culture and creativity in the new age of austerity and budget cuts. For more information visit this website. Participation fees are £15, concession £5. To reserve your place email: cresc@manchester.ac.uk




THURSDAY 17th June- The Quest for Perfect Skin

'Since the 17th century, a multimillion-pound industry has developed that feeds on our aesthetic concerns about skin'. As part of its new exhibition on the history of research and visual depictions of skin, the Welcome Trust is hosting a series of lectures. Tonight's lecture will be delivered by Stefania Crowther. She will be speaking about the roots of the cosmetic industry and how it affects individual relationships with health, comparing early modern skincare preparations with today's practices. The talk will be held at the Welcome Collection. Tickets are free and open to everyone. Tickets are given on a first come first serve basis and can be collected from the information desk from 4:30pm onwards on the day.




FRIDAY 18th June-Ecstatic Flow

A new exhibition called Ecstatic Flow is on display at the October Gallery in London. The exhibition shows the magnificent artwork of Algerian artisti Rachid Koraïchi . Koraïchi's work is heavily influenced by his Sufi upbringing and is infused with the ethos and symbolism of Sufi mysticism and numerology. Koraïchi's works include a wide variety of media such as: ceramics, textiles, poetry, calligraphy, and paint. The exhibition is particularly concerned with the Islamic concept of Safar (travel and transcendence), the installation traces the journey of medieval Muslim traveller Jalal Al Din Al Rumi across the Mediterranean to meet the Sufi mystic and poet Ibn El Arabi. The exhibition runs until the 18th of July. For more information and booking details, visit this website.







FRIDAY 18th JUNE- Religion in Amazonia

Today from 10:30am-12:3pm at LSE's Seligman Library A607 (Old Building), Professor Mark Harris (University of St. Andrews) will be talking about local religion in Eighteenth-century Brazilian Amazonia. Harris has been conducting research with peasant river dwellers in the Brazilian Amazon since 1992. He has also conducted archival research on the region, focusing on the origins of a massive rebellion in the 1830s.






SATURDAY 19th JUNE- Refuge in Films

Refuge in Films is a group of young people some of whom are refugees and migrants from around the world who come together t0 make documentaries about their lives and experiences. This year's festival will be held at the BFI. Over three days from 11:00am onwards, short films ranging from bike projects for asylum seekers in the UK, to rebuilding communities in Ethiopia after 2007. Visit this website for a detailed programme of the festival. Ticket prices can be found on the BFI website.




FRIDAY 25th JUNE- Suicide in an Indian Town

Today from 10:30am-12:3pm at LSE's Seligman Library A607 (Old Building) Professor Jonathan Parry will be giving a talk on suicide in an Indian steel town. Professor Parry has been doing fieldwork on industrial workers in the central Indian steel town of Bhilai (in the Chhattisgarh region of Madhya Pradesh) which was built on a "green field" site with Soviet collaboration and technology in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The public sector Bhilai Steel Plant is now one of the largest steel plants in Asia, and has served as a magnet for a great deal of private sector industrial development. Part of the fieldwork has focused on on shopfloor organisation, but much of it has been conducted in the ex-villages-cum-labour colonies in which the workers have their homes.




SATURDAY 26th JUNE- Treasures from Trash

Today is the first day of an exhibition at Croydon Clocktower which explores how 'trash' is recycled around the world to make everyday objects. Communities around the world are using their creativity to create eco-products such as hats made out of pop cans, tyre buckets transformed into toys, and stoves made into handbags. These treasures are supporting groups of artists around the world and providing them with an new source of income. The exhibtion is free and open to everyone.













SATURDAY 26th JUNE- Okinawa Day

Today in Spitalfields, from 11:00-7:00pm there will be a celebration of Okinawan culture, music, art, dancing and food. The event is free and everyone is welcome. Take a look at photos and videos from last year's festival on this website.







Monday 28th JUNE- Culture Evolves

As part of this year's See Further:Festival of Science and Arts the Royal Society is hosting a free two day interdisciplinary conference called Culture Evolves aimed at academics/students interested in cultural evolution. 'The capacity of culture is a product of biological evolution-yet culture itself can also evolve, generating cultural phylogenies. The workshop will address new discoveries and controversies illuminating these phenomena, from the roots of culture in the animal kingdom to human, cultural evolutionary trees and the cognitive adaptations shaping our special cultural nature. The event is free but registration is essential. For conference details and registration visit this website.



ONGOING:

Anthropologist Carla Stang has recently published a wonderful accessible ethnography called 'A Walk to the River in Amazonia' . The ethnography follows the everyday realities of the Mehinaku Indians, an Amazonian people by observing various aspects of their experience and by relating how these different facets come to play in a stream of ordinary consciousness, a walk to the river. In this way, abstract schemata such as ‘cosmology,’ ‘sociality,’ ‘gender,’ and the ‘everyday’ are understood as they are actually lived.

Diary for May 2010

SUNDAY 2nd May - Asahi Anime Festival

For the past two days Brighton's Bartholomew Square has been transformed by a street festival combining Japanese music, food, karaoke and Manga. The highlight of the festival is the cosplay competition where Manga fans dress up and compete to win the Final Fantasy hero award! Click here to find out more information. Anthropologists have long been interested in Manga as an art form and means of expression and many interesting ethnographies have been written about the subject. To find out more about the anthropology of Manga, visit the Centre for Anthropology library at the British Museum and peruse through the numerous books.


MONDAY 3rd May- Bookings are now open for London Anthropology Day!

London Anthropology Day is the largest national open day for anthropology in Britain. Organised by the Royal Anthropological Institute in collaboration with the British Museum (BM) and participating universities the event will be held on July 8th at the BM's Education Clore Centre. The LAD is open to Year 12/13 and FE students, teachers and career advisers who want to find out more about anthropology and gain first-hand experience of what it is like to study the subject at university. The LAD 2010 will have 18 universities attending from England, Wales and Ireland, making this year the biggest event to date. The LAD is free but advanced booking is necessary. For more information and to book your free place, please visit: www.londonanthropologyday.co.uk



MONDAY 3rd May- Brighton Festival

The 44th annual Brighton Festival has a full programme of debates, music, dance performances and outdoor events. An anthropological highlight of the festival is the free outdoor event: Bodies in Urban Spaces. Conceived and created by Austrian choreographer Willi Dorner, the idea is for people to meet at a secret location and join in making human sculptures that recreates our urban space. The sculpture is led by 20 'movement artists' (dancers, climbers and athletes) but others can join in as well. Watch the architectural creation in action, and find out how to get involved in this year's festival! The festival runs until the 23rd of May.





MONDAY 3rd May- Tomorrow: a Film Instillation by Fiona Tan

As part of the 2010 Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, the city's Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) presents a video instillation entitled Tomorrow by internationally renowned artist Fiona Tan. The instillation challenges assumptions about identity, race and ethnicity by exploring the intimate lives of a group of schoolchildren in Sweden. Tan lives and works in Amsterdam and is best known for her film and photography work on human representation. You and read an interview with the artist and her instillation Tomorrow in the Herald Scotland. The exhibition is free and runs until the 27th September.




WEDNESDAY 5th May- Right to the City Workshop

The Urban Rights Group at the University of Manchester's Institute for Development Policy and Management is hosting a free workshop for early career/doctoral researchers with an interest in the Right to the City. 'The aim of the workshop is to discuss the Right to the City as it relates to theory and practice in global Southern cities, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and with regard to diverse human issues, including poverty and land tenure'. The event is free but spaces are limited. To book your free place contact: gemma.sou@manchester.ac.uk





THURSDAY 6th May-REWIND: A Cantana for Voice, Tape and Testimony

Tonight at 7:30pm at the Royal Festival Hall a fantastic performance of music and digital art called Rewind will take place. Rewind is a composition which 'celebrates the human spirit that rose above the horror of South African apartheid'. Philip Miller mixes traditional and operatic South African music styles. The music is complemented by Gerhard Marx's animated projections of photographs and text of testimonies of victims and perpetrators. For more information and ticket prices, visit this website.





FRIDAY 7th May- Wall Paintings of Shekhawati, Rajastan

Ilay Cooper is a writer, photographer and art historian who has lectured at the British Museum, the V&A and the Courtauld Institute. Ilay has spent some 10 years exploring Shekhawati and the surrounding region, documenting its famous painted buildings. The murals decorate mansions, temples and caravanserais. They embrace Hindu mythology, folk tales, history, everyday life, animals, plants erotica, foreigners and a wealth of decorative designs. Join Ilay as he talks about his adventures and his book 'The Painted Towns of Shekhawati'. The event is held at the Ebenezer Chapel, in Somerset. Tickets include a glass of wine and curry supper. Call 07860 480035 to reserve your place.




FRIDAY 7th May- Ethnography Beyond Ethnos

The Anthropological Association of Ireland's Annual Conference is taking place over the next two day at Trinity College in Dublin. The keynote lecture " Framing Conflict: measurement, objectification and comparison in studies of violence and practices for its amelioration' will be given by Dr. Yael Navarro-Yashin from Cambridge University. On-site registration for non-members is 15 pounds. For more information and to download a full programme visit www.anthropologyireland.org






FRIDAY 7th May - Real Food Festival

If you are a fan of going to Borough market chatting to local producers and tasting artisan food, then you may be interested in attending the Real Food Festival. Running from the 7th-10th of May,the festival is held every year at London's Earl Court. The festival showcases organic and artisan food made from farmers in England and all over Europe, as well as cooking demonstrations and workshops and much more. For more information and ticket prices check out the Real Food Festival website.






SATURDAY 8th May- RAI's International Meaning of Water Photo Contest Now Online!

The Royal Anthropological Institute's Education Programme launched a photo contest called The Meaning of Water which ran alongside their ESRC 2010 outreach events. The photo contest focused on the human relationship to water in the context of: livelihoods and sustainability; religion and spirituality; trade and transport and management and access. The contest was an amazing success with over 200 submissions from all over the world. The panel of judges included Professor Elizabeth Edwards, Dr. Chris Wright, Amanda Vinson, Guven Witteveen and contest organiser Nafisa Fera. The panel were amazed at the quality of the photographs submitted and decided to make two short-lists (Runner-Ups and Finalists) for each category. The short-listed photos are going online today! Take a look at the photos on our Flickr Gallery and the Discover Anthropology website.




THURSDAY 13th May- Frazer Strikes Back from the Armchair

Tonight from 6-7pm at LSE's Old Theatre, Dr. Rane Willerslev will argue that 'the Malinowskian recourse to empirical evidence as the ultimate criterion for anthropological knowledge is misguided'. Do we always have to undertake ethnographic fieldwork as Malinowski did in order that our research be validated as anthropologists? Dr. Willerslev argues that some phenomena such as the 'soul' and 'ritual blood sacrifice' are beyond empirical experience. The event is free and open to all. Entry is on a first come first serve basis. For more information email j.f.stone@lse.ac.uk









SATURDAY 15th May - The Emperor's Secret Garden

The Oxford Ethnographic Film Society presents the The Emperor's Secret Garden, a new film by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Andre Singer. The one-hour documentary explores the restoration undertaken over 5 years of the Private Lodge of Retirement in the 18th Century Qianlong Garden Complex in Beijing's Forbidden City. The restoration has been involved the collaboration between The Palace Museum, The World Monuments Fund, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation and The Prince's Charities Foundation (China). The screening will take place at 11:00am at the Pitt Rivers Museum. The event is free and open to everyone.










WEDNESDAY 19th May- Revisiting Dead Birds & Dani Sweet Potatoes

This afternoon at 2:00pm at the Pitt Rivers Museum, acclaimed anthropologist and filmmaker Professor Karl Heider (University of South Carolina) presents a variety of films spanning the length of his career including his work with the Dani of Papua New Guinea. Professor Heider has concentrated on psychological and visual anthropology in particular, his work focuses on emotions and sexuality. Take a look here to find out more about his research. The event is free and open to everyone.





WEDNESDAY 19th May-Barbara E. Ward Commemorative Lecture

Today at 5pm in the Nissan Lecture Theatre at St. Antony's College Oxford, Dr. Hausner will be giving the International Gender Studies Centre's Ward Commemorative Lecture. Dr. Hausner's lecture will focus on her current research on Nepali migrant religion in Britain and America as well as her book 'Wandering with Sadhus: Ascetics in the Hindu Himalayas'. For more information and booking details email: maria.jaschok@qeh.ox.ac.uk









THURSDAY 20th May- Forest Ecosystems

How can we restore forests the have been severely damaged by illegal logging and uncontrolled conversion to farmland? Dr. Mark Huxham and Dr. Glen Reynolds share their insights and the results of their pioneering research into the restoration of rainforests in Borneo and mangrove forests in Kenya. Join both Earthwatch scientists in this public lecture taking place at 7:00pm at the Royal Geographical Society. Tickets are free but donations are welcome. To find out more information visit this website.






FRIDAY May 21st- Art.Public. Tourism.

The Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change is hosting a one-day workshop in Leeds, exploring the exchange between artists, art managers the general public and tourism promoters. The workshop addresses questions such as: is what is good for art also good for tourism? What kind of publics do art and tourism produce? For a detailed programme and information about registration fees go to this website.












TUESDAY 25th May - Virtual Ethnography

Tonight at 6:30pm at the October Gallery in London, anthropologist Damien De Barra tells participants of his virtual ethnographic research spanning the length of 12 years looking specifically at 9/11 conspiracy theories. De Barra's research looks at the processes by which conspiracy theorists, their detractors, and the media have been engaged in cyber conversations of meaning-making brought about by the rise of social media. Both the conspiracy theorists and their debunkers claim to be telling 'the truth'. How do we know who is telling the truth? In what ways is the phrase being constructed and used by these various groups? Are these conversations just acts of speculation or is something bigger, deeper and more sinister at play? To RSVP email: rentals@octobergallery.co.uk Tickets are 7 pounds or 5 pounds concession.




ONGOING

A new book by anthropologist Annu Jalais called 'Forest of Tigers:People, Politics and Environment in the Sundarbans' has recently been published. The mangrove islands that comprise the Sundarbans area of the Bengal delta have unique ecosystems and are home to the Royal Bengal Tigers. One of the key questions the author addresses in this ethnography is what do tigers mean for the islanders of the Sundarbans? The author argues that far more than through caste, tribe or religion, the Sundarbans islanders articulate their social locations and interactions by reference to the non-human world- the forest and its terrifying protagonist, the man-eating tiger.




Another book that has recently been published is by Dr. Jens Kjaerulff called 'Internet and Change: An Anthropology of Knowledge and Flexible Work' . Undertaking research amongst 'teleworkers', people working via internet from their homes in rural Denmark, Kjaerullf's work analyzes the question of how internet use may be related to social and cultural change.

Lucy Special: The upcoming ESRC Festival of Social Science

I'm posting a special Anthropologist About Town blog, to let you know about The ESRC Festival of Social Science which is coming up in less than two weeks and give you a head start in booking your tickets to free social science events around the UK.

The ESRC Festival of Social Science takes place annually in March. The festival provides an opportunity for organisations around the UK to share their research, and organise events and activities which demonstrate the importance and impact social science has on our everyday lives.

This year's festival will take place from the 12th- 21st March. There are events all over the country, some which are suitable for schools, others for people with a specific knowledge/interest in the topic, for professionals, and for a general public audience. To find out more about all the events visit the ESRC Festival website.

The Festival has some great events that are open to the general public. Below are a few highlights.


12th -13th March- Focus on Low Carbon Living

Students across the UK have been exploring how energy functions in their daily lives, and what steps can be taken to reduce energy use or be more energy-efficient. Science Oxford Live hosts an exhibition of their photographic and/or artistic results, and investigate how students' work can help us to focus on what Low Carbon Living would actually mean. The event is taking place at the Meeting Place, University of Oxford. For more information and to book your free ticket contact jennifer.otoadese@ouce.ox.ac.uk




13th March- Exploring Privacy: Your privacy and the internet

Based on a three year collaborative research project, Royal Holloway University of London are hosting an event which encourages participants to share their views about online identity and privacy. Taking place at the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens the event begins with a short performance followed by a discussion and interactive activity to record participants' thoughts and conclusions. For more information and to book your free place contact Claire Hudson at: Claire.hudson@rhhul.ac.uk






15th March - Memories of Medical Research in Africa: a photography exhibition

The Anthropologies of African Biosciences Research Group presents an exhibition exploring the social life of medical research in Africa. Photographs, short films and artwork evoke historical and contemporary experiences of research participants, workers and communities. The evening opening event includes an introduction to the exhibition, music and a free glass of wine. The event will take place at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's Cafe. To book your free place email Gemma Jones at gemma.jones@lshtm.ac.uk/ 020 7927 2663








16th- 18th March- Water Cultures: discovering the meaning of water through film

Water cultures offers participants an opportunity to take a glimpse at communities around the worlds whose livelihoods are being threatened by fresh water scarcity, and who are drawing upon local knowledge to find solutions to their predicament.

Format: A brief introduction about the ESRC Festival, the film, and film maker, followed by the screening and a Q&A session.

Time: 6:30-8:30pm

Location: The Royal Anthropological Institute's Screening Room

Free snacks and drinks will be provided. To book your free place visit: www.discoveranthropology.org.uk or email Nafisa Fera, the RAI's Education Officer at education@therai.org.uk /020 7387 0455




16th March 6:30pm - The Water Goddess and the Computer
Screening followed by Q&A with Andre Singer

Film makers: Andre Singer and Stephen Lansing, Colour, 52 minutes, 1989

The film demonstrates how in Bali, development projects can threaten a carefully balanced ecological irrigation system that is maintained by temple priests. A biologist and an anthropologist look at the traditional irrigation system and show through the use of a computer how it works. They then present the computer system to the temple priests as an aid to explore the effects of changes in the traditional irrigation system.



17th March 6:30pm- Drowned Out
Screening followed by Q&A with Hugh Brody

Director: Franny Armstrong, colour, 72 mins, 2002

An Indian family decide to stay at home and drown rather than make way for the Narmada Dam. They are faced with three choices: move to the slums in the city; accept a place at the resettlement site; or stay at home and drown. The people of Jalsindhi in central India must make a decision fast. In the next few weeks, their village will disappear underwater as the giant Narmada Dam fills. Bestselling author Arudhati Roy joins the fight against the dam and asks difficult questions such as: Will the water go to poor farmers or rich industrialists? What happened to the 16 million people displaced by fifty years of dam building? Why should I care? Drowned Out follows the Jalsindhi villagers through hunger strikes, rallies, police brutality and a six year Supreme Court case.


18th March 6:30pm- Little Waterfall
Screening followed by Q&A with Joshka Wessel

Film maker: Joshka Wessel, colour, 52 mins, 2003

Little Waterfall is a small village on the edge of the desert in Northern Syria. Life in Little Waterfall is made possible by the use of a 1500-year old Byzantine water tunnel. However, decades of migration and family conflicts caused the tunnel's maintenance to be ignored. Mohammed Musa spent all his life in Little Waterfall. He does not have irrigation rights and he resents the way irrigation rights are sold by others. He undertakes a project to clean the tunnel in order to safeguard the water supply, and pursue his own interests.



20th March- The Meaning of Water

Time: 10:00am-4:00pm

Location: HMS President Boat, Victoria Embankment, EC4Y, London

The Meaning of Water aims to raise public awareness of research and development projects undertaken by anthropologists, social scientists, and NGOs in the UK and abroad. Through presentations, films and exhibitions, the event explores two main themes: 1) access, advocacy and fresh water management; and 2) sustainability and livelihoods. The event addresses questions such as: how are communities finding local solutions to water scarcity? In what ways can we decrease our water footprint? What are the repercussions of water being treated as a commodity rather than as a common right? We hope that through this event participants will better understand our local and global interdependent relationship to water and foster collaboration between associated groups of individuals.

To book your free place visit: www.discoveranthropology.org.uk or email Nafisa Fera, the RAI's Education Officer at education@therai.org.uk / 020 7387 0455

Diary for 25th February to 31st February 2010

THURSDAY 25th February - RAI's International Meaning of Water Photo Contest

Last week I posted news about the RAI's Meaning of Water International Photo Contest. Since then, I have received questions as to whether or not professional anthropologists and photography students are able to enter the contest. The answer is yes. The contest welcomes photographs from anyone with a passion for photography and anthropology. Professional photographers however, are not eligible. To find out more about the contest and download an application form visit: www.discoveranthropology.org.uk



FRIDAY 26th February- 13 Moon Screenings

The Native Spirit Foundation in collaboration with SOAS Students' Union present regular evening film screenings & talks promoting the cultures of indigenous people taking place every full moon. Tonight at 6pm in Room G2 at SOAS three films will be shown: Meet the Preak, a film about a unique man in New Zealand who questions the need to be part of 'modern society' ; the second film is called 13 Pueblos, Defending Water, Air & Land, and looks at a group of indigenous communities in Mexico working collectively to protect their land. The final film Alcatraz is not an island looks at a group of Native American students and activists who in 1969 decided to occupy Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Admission is £6 or £3 for students.



SATURDAY 27th February- Brighton Science Festival

As part of the Brighton Science Festival from10-6pm today in the Sallis Benney Theatre (56-58 Parade) there will games, talks, debates and fun activities for all ages aimed at celebrating the diversity of science. There are some fascinating discussions, such as The Lying Ape, led by body language expert Harry Witchel. Harry teachers you how to 'read' body language and decipher when people are lying to you or telling the truth. Tickets for the day are 10 pounds or 6 pounds concession. To find out more about the festival's programme visit: www.BrightonScience.com




SUNDAY 28th February- Global Empires Post-Graduate Research Project

The University of Aberdeen is offering funding for a number of Masters and PhD studentships within their interdisciplinary project on 'Ideas, Practices, and Impacts of Global Empire'. The project is being overseen by a supervisory team drawn from History, Anthropology, Hispanic Studies, International Relations, and the University's museums. The project is interested in a number of themes: cross cultural encounters and collecting; material culture and visual representations of encounters; trade, migration, and empire; the ideologies of empires; and resistance and the ends of empires. The closing date for applications is 30th April 2010. Visit this website for more information.








MONDAY 1st March- ISEFF Ethnographic Film Festival

Goldsmith's International Student Ethnographic Film Festival festival is starting tomorrow (2nd March). The festival focuses on collaborations and engagements between anthropologists, filmmakers and their 'subjects' in ethnographic films. Running for three days (2nd-4th March) the festival has a diverse range of films for its' three main themes: faces, places and spaces. For more information visit:www.iseff.co.uk/





TUESDAY 2nd March- The Giant Buddhas

Today I am heading to UCL's Institute of Archaeology Lecture Theatre to see the award- winning film 'The Giant Buddhas' by Christian Frei. Produced by independent Swiss film maker and producer Chris Frei, the film tells the story of the destruction of the famous Bayiman Buddha Statues in Afghanistan, and reflects on issues of faith, fanaticism, terror, tolerance, ignorance and identity. The screening starts at 6:15. Entrance is free and all are welcome.





WEDNESDAY 3rd March- Online access to archival material: taking a longterm perspective

Today I am going to reserve a free place for tomorrow's 4th March seminar at the Centre for Anthropology at the British Museum. The seminar is entitled: Mission 21/Basel Mission- Longterm Perspectives of Web Access. The seminar focuses on the history and process of digitisation of archival photographs, maps and manuscripts of the Basel Mission in Switzerland. Anthropologist and historical photo curator, Barbara Frey-Naf will be speaking about the significance of the collection as a resource for academic research in cultural anthropology, geography, history and environmental sciences. The seminar is free and open to all. Advanced booking required. To book your free place email:JAyres@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk