Diary for 2nd October to 8th October 2008

THURSDAY 2ND OCTOBER - British Museum barkcloth

This afternoon I'll be at the British Museum listening to a talk by two anthropologists on Oceanic barkcloth. Though that may sound incredibly specialised, barkcloth is actually thought to be one of the first forms of paper, and perhaps where the material was invented (around 105AD in Fiji), as you can read here. It is also believed to have held tremendous religious and social importance, as well as being used in clothing and decoration. It's worth mentioning that the talk is being given by Lissant Bolton and Sherry Doyal, both clear and interesting speakers who have spent a large period of their careers working in these areas. The event begins at 13.15 in Room 3 of the British Museum, and is FREE. (See Monday's entry also for more info on barkcloth)




FRIDAY 3RD OCTOBER - Anthropology gets Local

It's not often people below degree level get a chance to become involved in anthropology, so I was particularly interested in come across the film 'Anglesea Road' on youtube last week. It was made as part of visual anthropology project between the Royal Anthropological Institute and a college in South East London, where a group of 16-19 year-olds made a mini-ethnographic film about their local area, and takes a look at a street which has a large Somali population, and what the area means to them. Also part of the project was Talk of the Trade, a film about a market in Woolwich that has changed the produce it sells in keeping with the local population. Both pieces manage to tell us a lot within only a short space of time. The project is linked to the Discover Anthropology initiative, which is all about engaging young people with the subject - for more detailed information see the London Anthropology Day website.



SATURDAY 4TH OCTOBER -A new treasure trove

To kick off the weekend I'll be visiting a new permanent exhibition at SOAS University in London. Held in the Brunei Gallery, 'Treasures of SOAS' is a collection of some of the institution's less well-known material. It includes a copy of the Islamic manuscript, the Anvar-i Suhayli, which is a 16th century book of animal fables, as well as decorative Buddhist manuscripts and sculptures from South-East Asia; contemporary African paintings and textiles, and much more. You can view examples of some of the work on the website, and if you have the correct software view an interactive version of the Anvar-i Suhayli by following the links on the right hand side. It's also worth revisiting periodically as the content will be rotated. The Gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 10.30 and 17.00 and entrance is FREE.



SUNDAY 5TH OCTOBER - Canoes on film

Last year I mentioned a film called Ten Canoes on the blog, which showed at the London Film Festival and was the result of a collaboration between a film-maker and the Aboriginal Yolngu community, from Australia. It was one of the first times a feature film had been made featuring their indigenous language, and was inspired by a series of anthropological photographs by Donald Thomson - you can watch a trailer on the website. Recently, another website - '12 Canoes', has been launched, which is a fantastic resource containing films made by Yolngu people about their life and culture, as well as information about their background and lots of accompanying photographs. There are also further interesting thoughts and links about the website on the Material Culture anthropology blog.



MONDAY 6TH OCTOBER - Online museum

Another website to browse today, which aims to bring the ethnographic collections of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter to a wider audience. It contains a number of interactive tools, including the opportunity to (electronically) have a go at playing a Burmese xylophone, or to create your own Polynesian barkcloth. The material is aimed at varying age groups, but all is very accessible and pretty varied in its subject matter. So for those of you not lucky enough to live besides the seaside in Exeter then it's well-worth a few hours of your time - you can view a list of subjects already online here.





TUESDAY 7TH OCTOBER - Getting Arctic in Cambridge

Since it's just been named as one of the top 5 museum exhibitions in the country, I thought today I would head back down to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) in Cambridge for a look at their Arctic Passages collection. It explores the Wordie expeditions of the 193os, when a group of scientists went to the Arctic to conduct experiments and also to learn more about Inuit life and culture. This exhibition focuses on these interactions and how the two communities responded to each other. There is also an extensive website devoted solely to the exhibition, with some of the photos on show at the museum. The MAA is open between Tuesday and Saturday from 10.30 until 16.30 and admission is FREE - Arctic Passages runs until 2nd December.




WEDNESDAY 8TH OCTOBER - Howzat! (Trobriand style)

There's a series of films being shown at the SOAS anthropology department over the coming months, highlighting some of the most well-known ethnographic films. Today sees the screening of 'Trobriand Cricket', made in 1979, which looked at how the missionary-introduced sport was adapted by locals to suit the needs of their society. You can read more about the film here. The screenings take place every Wednesday in the Khalili Theatre between 13.00 and 15.00 and are free to attend, just pick up a sticker at the main entrance. Look out for notices of other films showing over coming weeks on the blog.

Diary for 25th September to 1st October 2008

THURSDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER -Soul searching lecture

The time of year has come again for one of the Royal Anthropological Institute's flagship events - tonight sees the Henry Myers Lecture, which is being given by the eminent French academic Professor Bruno Latour. He will be discussing; 'What good is it for man to gain his soul, yet forfeit the whole world?". Latour mixes anthropology with philosophy and is perhaps most well-known for his analysis of how science and and scientific experiments are socially constructed - 'facts' are createdout of a web of political, economic, cultural and other considerations. He also has a useful website with many resources, including this slide show of a previous talk. The lecture begins at 17.30 in the Stevenson Theatre in The British Museum, immediately after the Institute's AGM (16.30 - all comers welcome to this too), and admission is FREE. There will also be a reception following the lecture.




FRIDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER - Anarchist Anthropology

If controversy is your cup of tea, then you might be interested to watch this filmed interview with the American anthropologist David Graeber. He recently left his position as an academic at Yale in the USA under murky circumstances. No-one really knows why, but it is suspected it may have something to do with his self-proclaimed status as an anarchist. The extent to which anthropologists should become involved in the politics of their study is a long-debated bone of contention amongst practitioners, but Graeber's treatment does seem unusually harsh. The good news for students of these shores, though, is that Dr.Graeber now teaches at Goldsmiths in London. You can read further interviews with him here, and also by following the links at bottom of his wikipedia entry.



SATURDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER - A Gold medal in Culture?

In association with the 2012 Olympic Games, London is also hosting a Cultural Olympiad, an ongoing endeavour to engage people in culture and learn about the activities of many different communities across the UK. This weekend many of the venues and people involved in the Olympiad are hosting an Open Weekend - an opportunity for people to find out more about what's going on at the beginning of the project. One such event is the opportunity to see Afroreggae, who I've mentioned on the blog before, in performance for FREE, preparing for their evening show at the Barbican Hall. The show begins at 18.00 - to find out more about the band you could also get hold of the book 'Culture is our Weapon' co-written by Patrick Neate, who studied anthropology at university.




SUNDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER - Aboriginal art today

On Tuesday I'll be back down at the October Gallery in Central London for their current exhibition, 'Our Life...our land...is culture'. It is the work of Samantha Hobson, an young Aboriginal artist whose pieces are inspired by traditional Aboriginal beliefs, as well as the harsh social conditions often present in isolated Aboriginal communities. The idea of the October Gallery is to show art inspired by, or created within other cultures, so it often has events of interest to anthropologists. Hobson's work is showing until 11th October and the gallery is open from Tuesday until Sunday, between 12.30 and 17.30 - entrance is FREE.





MONDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER - Down the Amazon

It's about time I settled down to watch some of the new series, Amazon, on BBC2 tonight. Whilst not explicitly anthropological, the programme is presented by Bruce Parry (from the very successful Tribe) traveling down the mighty South American river and engaging with the local people along the way. Anthropologists have helped the Amazon team along the way with their research, suggesting places and people that might be interesting to encounter, as well how they should be approached and treated. There has always been debate as to whether this kind of programme is good or bad for anthropology, but at least Amazon brings a certain degree of sensitivity and respect to the adventure, and certainly a good deal of particpant observation... Amazon is showing every Monday on BBC2 at 21.00 and there are plenty of extra resources and information on the website - you can watch previous episodes on the iplayer.



TUESDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER - A look at Alick

On Sunday I'm visiting an exhibition that has just opened at the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in Central London. The artist, Alick Tipoti, is from the Torres Striat Islands (location of some of the first ever anthropological fieldwork by Haddon) and his work reflects the myths and stories of his ancestors. As he says, "When I work late at night carving traditional designs, I can sense the presence of the spirits". For example, traditional methods of wood-carving are transformed using contemporary printing techniques. There are many more of hs works viewable on the website, and you should also have a read about the gallery project, which aims to champion aboriginal art to western audiences. The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday between 10.00 and 18.00 and entrance is FREE.




WEDNESDAY 1ST OCTOBER - Fact or fiction

Today I'll be getting hold of a new book, The Duke oF Puddleduck, which is written by an anthropologist - Nigel Barley - who spent his working life at the British Musuem. Barley was interviewed last week in the newspaper about how he uses his anthropological knowledge (up until 2003 he was an assistant keeper in the Department of Ethnography in the British Museum) as inspiration for his fictional writing. He is one of several who have made the crossover (others are occassionally mentioned on the blog) and interestingly thinks, "Fiction’s more fun. It lets you look inside people’s heads in a way you wouldn’t dare to do if you stuck to anthropology". Whether that's true or not is up for debate, but you may be interested (or bored!) also to have a look at this article about how anthropological writing is often boring! A healthy balance of the two genres is what I would recommend...

Diary for 18th September to 24th September 2008

THURSDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER - More from Mavis

I'll be back down at The Flea Pit in East London tonight for the second evening of films showing from students on the MA in Visual Anthropology at Goldsmiths. The nine films showing are divided up into three sections - all the documentaries are around 20 minutes in length, and they range in geographical subject matter from Japan to Greenland to Wales. A particular highlight looks to be the study of the different contemporary uses for the traditional Inuit kayak, from hunting to sport. You can find out more about all the films here, which begin at 18.00 - entrance is FREE







FRIDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER - Songs for Peace

On Friday I'm shimmying on over to St.Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation & Peace in London to catch the performance of a group of musicians from West Papua. The songs they will be singing are all part of the Lani people's cultural heritage, which is under threat from the Indonesian authorities. Their music has become overtly political since moving to the UK as refugees, in order to run the Free West Papua Campaign, but their struggle is typical of many other marginalised peoples, who are often part of anthropologists' work and support. Admission to the evening is £12, and it begins at 19.00 - there will also be a screening of a short film about the issue, as well as a performance of the 'Danzak' scissor dance from Peru -which you can watch and find out more about here. You can also listen to some of the Lani group's music on their myspace page here.


SATURDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER -Clothing Culture in Manchester

I'll be starting off the weekend by visiting the Whitworth Museum in Manchester for their new exhibition, Cloth & Culture Now, which I've mentioned before on the blog when it's been on elsewhere. It comprises the work of 35 artists from six different countries who use tapestry, knitting, embroidery, digital print, optic fibres, photography and more to looks at the influence of culture and tradition on contemporary practice. Textiles are important indicators of cultural identity in the native countries of the artists (Estonia, Finland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania and the UK) so the exhibition seeks to combine the old and the new to express and explore regional identity. It runs until 14th December and is open daily from 10.00 onwards - entrance is FREE.





SUNDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER - Airbrushed in history

Not considering myself the most photogenic anthropologist, today I'll be checking out a new collection at the Brunei Gallery in SOAS. Interesting for the aficionados of visual culture amongst you, 'Painted Photographs' contains a series of images that have been colour tinted - a 19th century photgraphic technique similar to modern-day air brushing. The difference between the original photograph and the modified version on show in the gallery is historically and anthropologically informative about how people then wanted to be perceived. The exhibition is on until 27th September so there's not long left to check it out - it's open daily from 10.00 until 17.00 and entrance is FREE.






MONDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER - Music from the San

Today I'll be considering another demonstration of music at The October Gallery in Central London. In collaboration with the campaigning organisation Indigenous People, they are hosting an evening of traditional music and dance by representatives of the San Bushmen from Namibia - !Gubi Family on Tour. They are fundraising for sustainable improvements to their living conditions in Namibia, and have been touring across the country (for details of their schedule see here). For the anthropologist, as well as enjoying the music, the evening will be an interesting opportunity to see how San culture and life are being represented and, to some extent, 'marketed' - issues of 'indigineity' are increasingly politicised ones. There is also a film being shown about the current situation of the Bushmen. The evening lasts from 19.00 until 22.00 and entrance costs £10, or £8 for students.


TUESDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER - Big Brother or Big Mother?

Normally I wouldn't mention reality television on the blog, but the latest offering from Channel 4 may be of slight interest for anthropologists. 'The Family' is a Big Brother-like format, where one ordinary family had cameras installed in their house for several months, and their daily lives were observed over a period of time. Amongst the children in the family is Charlotte, who is studying social anthropology for part of her International Baccalaureate (an alternative to A-levels) -perhaps she will bring some ethnographic insight on how the family functions?! According to this preview article, the programme is also a return to more responsible and in-depth observtional film-making, which means we may learn more about our own society than in most of the other exaggerated material on television. There is a website where you can view more resources, and you should be able to watch previous episodes on 4onDemand - it is broadcast otherwise at 21.00 on Wednesdays.



WEDNESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER - A Spot of Docs

Today I'll be back at Pocketvisions for the start of a new season of documentaries showing at the Barbican Centre's monthly Docspot this autumn. If you're new to Pocketvisions, then a good introduction is provided by 4docs: "The docs selected have often emerged from anthropological fieldwork, which gives a really interesting perspective that goes beyond the film-making itself and into the social meanings and ethics of documentary interviews and investigation". Tonight, the film showing is La Americana, which tells the story of a young Bolivian woman trying to raise enough money for her injured daughter by working illegally in the USA. It's a portrait of the human side of the immigration debate, away from all the statistics and political rhetoric that often grab the headlines. The screening begins at 20.30 - you can find out more information closer to the time on the LIDF website, Admission is £6 for students, £8.50 full price.

Diary for 11th September to 17th September 2008

THURSDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER - Funereal inspiration

A relaxing afternoon today as I'll be tuning in to the airing of the Radio 4 afternoon play. 'Worktown' is inspired by photographs of Bolton and Blackpool, taken by Humphrey Spender in the late 1930s for the 'everyday anthropology' organisation 'Massobs'. It follows a funeral procession through the cobbled backstreets of the towns, and intermittently dips into slices of life on its way. Poetry, dialogue, monologue and song are combined to create a picture of the richness of local life at the time. The play will be broadcast at 14.15, but should be available on the BBC's listen again service for a week after. You can also listen whilst watching a slide show of some of the photographs here.




FRIDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER - Watching yachting, seeing cycling and perusing ping pong

If, like me, you took a break from quite so many cultural excursions recently to settle down in front of the Olympics, then you might be interested to know about the two day conference happening this weekend at SOAS. 'Documenting the Beijing Olympics' will look at the ways in which the games were recorded in both audio and visual mediums. It is being co-run by an anthropologist, Dr Lola Martinez, and many of the sessions (led by a combination of film-makers and academics) are relevant to anthropology, which often considers the significance of visual representations. Each part of the conference is related to a different element of the Games, from the torch relay to anticipating London 2012, and will concentrate on how the Olympics become remembered by observers thorugh the media they absorb. Entrance to the conference is FREE, and it runs over the full 2 days, but you should register with Jane Savoy before attending on js64@soas.ac.uk or 020 7898 4892.





SATURDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER - Painted veils

Today I will be at an exhibition by the Moroccan artist, Hassan Hajjaj, that has just started at the Leighton House Museum in West London. Dakka Marrakesh, or 'Marrakesh Beat' is a series of images that combine traditional forms of dress with highly commercialised contemporary brands. The idea is to question stereotypical perspectives people might have of Arabic women - so for example one image features a woman wearing lots of make-up whilst sporting a veil covered in the Louis Vuitton logo. It's interesting to the anthropologist for the way such juxtapositions highlight what is sometimes called an 'Orientalist' point of view - namely only seeing non-western people in a cliched way. There is a talk by the artist today at 15.00 and the exhibition in general is open between 11.00 and 17.30 except Tuesdays - admission costs £3 or £1 for students.


SUNDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER - Anthropology VJs

Last week, the Guardian ranked its' top 50 arts videos on youtube, and amongst the eclectic collection was some footage shot by the famous American author Zora Neale Hurston, who started out as an anthropology student. The footage in the clip is from one her trips in the 1920s, and is a great example of the way the internet has brought many anthropological resources and records to a wider audience. The film is overlaid with Hurston singing a then-popular song called 'Uncle Bud', so it is not just a record of the society she was filming but also of her own background. It is one of many anthropologically-related films about, which also include this pretty unusual remix of various ethnographic films here! Sing along now - 'Uncle Bud's got gals long and tall/ And they rock their hips like a cannonball, Uncle Bud.'



MONDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER - Bringing Ethiopia to Oxford

The Pitt-Rivers Museum, that anthropological treasure trove, is currently closed for refurbishment so tonight is a rare opportunity to head along there. They are holding one of the regular 'Friend's lectures (in the new extension to the building), which is being given by Hassan Arero, from the East Africa section at the British Museum. He will be talking about 'Ethiopia at the British Museum' and the many objects on view from their collections, including religious artefacts and pieces traded along the merchant route that ran between the Mediterranean and the Far East. There are refreshments being served from 17.45pm, with the lecture at 18.15 - visitors who aren't 'friends of the museum' are welcome but are asked to make a £2 contribution towards costs.





TUESDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER - In search of homeland

On Monday I want to attend the start of a new film season at the Goethe-Institut in London. Heimat? What Heimat? means "Homeland? What homeland?, and the series of films being shown are all interrogations of what exactly the concept of homeland should, or can, mean. Their 'anti-heimat' perspective - a reaction to stereotypical 1950s' films from the Austro-Germanic region - is interesting for its subversive take on that area. Films to be shown include Heart of Glass, directed by Werner Herzog, who has frequently borrowed from anthropology in his filming techniques and collaborations. The season last until 2nd October, and admission for each screening is only £3 - look on the website for more details of the schedule.




WEDNESDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER - Film Flea Market

This evening I'm heading along to The Fleapit in Columbia Road, East London for the first of two nights of film screenings from the current crop of students on the MA in Visual Anthropology at Goldsmiths University. Subjects range from a portrait of a blind Irish goat farmer, to an investigation into the regeneration of Morecombe pier and a memoir of a former leper colony off the coast of Crete. Entry to the whole evening is FREE and each film lasts no longer than 25 minutes so no need to worry about turning up late - the documentaries start showing from 18.00. You can also view the work of previous years' students online here.

Diary for 4th September to 10th September 2008

THURSDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER - Running away to the circus

On Thursday I'll be donning my leotard and hanging from a trapeze to listen to 'Journey of a Lifetime', broadcast last week on Radio 4. It featured recent university graduate and anthropologist Emily Ainsworth who won a Royal Geographical Society competition to go on a 3 month trip of a lifetime. She spent three months traveling with, and hoping to perform alongside, one of the many small family circuses in Mexico. Performance has often been a key area of study in anthropology, so Emily should provide some great insights from her experience. You can study the anthropology of performance at many institutions. You can also view some photos of her trip here, and learn more about the scheme on the RGS website here.



FRIDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER - Just what is an anthropological film?

In the last couple of weeks a very prominent member of the visual anthropology community, the American professor Jay Ruby, has released a paper arguing that ethnographic film has become too similar to mainstream documentary in its definition, and that, as such, anthropologists should look towards creating a new kind of 'anthropological cinema'. Ruby's theory is studied on all visual anthropology courses, and is significant for its strongly-argued distaste for films which claim to be ethnographic (like many TV programmes) but which in fact do not really undertake a thoroughly anthropological approach. He has begun a new interactive project, encompassing text, photography and film which he argues is more valid as an anthropological understanding. At the other end of the scale, people argue that almost all film can be 'ethnographic' so Ruby's latest paper, which is clear enough for newcomers to understand is well worth a read. It may well affect how you judge some of the other things I mention on this blog!







SATURDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER - Voices from the Nile

Today I'm going to browse a web resource I found out about at last week's conference in Slovenia - it's also a good example of what Ruby (see yesterday's entry) might be talking about when he refers to a anthropological approach to film. 'Voices from the Blue Nile' is an online resource of photographs and filmed interviews with people from Bonga, a refugee settlement in Ethiopia for people exiled from Sudan. It includes over two decades worth of material on their culture and history, and seeks to put different clips alongside each other in order to increase their significance. Therefore, on one page for example you can watch six different aspects of children's lives in Bonga. Plans for the future include showing three different points of view on the same incident, and also comparing archive and contemporary footage of a musician playing the same instrument. An abstract of the paper which was presented about the website is also available here, and the site should be developing rapidly over coming months.



SUNDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER - Native in Newcastle

On Sunday I will be up at the Baltic Centre in Gateshead to see one of their current exhibitions by Japanese, New York based artist Mariko Mori. Her work focuses on video and self-portraiture, particularly the imagination and fantasy. It has also investigated 'native cultures' and universal consciousness in relation to nature! It's of interest to anthropologists because she believes in offering multiple perspectives on her subjects, trying to escape narrow cliches or stereotypes. She also thinks it's important to reflect upon our own culture before we attempt to understand other ones. The exhibition runs until 14th September and runs between 10.00 and 18.00.



MONDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER - A story of Love And Valour

There are only a few days left if you want to catch the 'Ramayana' exhibition at the British Library that I've mentioned previously on the blog. The Ramayana is one of the most important texts in Hinduism and its influence on culture and society can be seen throughout the world. Today there is also a kathakali performance occurring at 15.30 - a traditional dance well-worth seeing -the dancers make-up will be being applied from 14.00. The website for the exhibition also has many fascinating resources, including podcasts and a video of a whirling dervish that recently visited! The exhibition is open daily (times vary - see here for details) and admission is FREE.


TUESDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER - Observing the observers

A reminder today in case you haven't already booked tickets for the event featuring Kim Longinotto that's occurring on Thursday 11th September at the BAFTA. As I mentioned on the blog a couple of weeks ago, Longinotto will be in discussion with two other film-makers who make films in an ethnographic way... Simon Chambers' film Every Good Marriage begins with Tears won the film prize at last year's RAI Film Festival, and together with film-maker George Amponsah they will be discussing why they make films in an observational style. To whet your appetite, you can read a short interview with Longinotto on the Bafta website here, and also watch her Divorce Iranian Style on the 4docs website. The event begins at 18.30 for a couple of hours and tickets cost £5.



WEDNESDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER - The importance of Art

This afternoon, I'm attending a talk at The British Museum, being given by anthropologist Max Carocci, on Native American ceremonial art. Art and anthropology frequently overlap as fields of study, because of the information an artwork can give one about the status of certain symbols, people or objects in a society. As I mentioned on the blog a couple of weeks ago, Carocci is a specialist in Californian Native Americans, having done his PhD on homosexuality amongst that community. The talk begins at 13.15 in Room 26 and is FREE to attend, just drop in.

Diary for August 28th to September 3rd 2008

THURSDAY AUGUST 28TH - Bring me his head


Today I'll be down at the British Museum for a screening of a short documentary about the 'Head of an Ife King', one of the most famous objects in the museum's wide-ranging ethnographic collection. It is part of a series of films about the museum's most iconic objects - this head belongs to Oni, the King of the Ife from Nigeria, supposedly the place where people descended form heaven on an iron chain to populate the world. The head would have been used in many different ceremonies - you can find out more here. The screening begins at 15.00 in the Stevenson Lecture Room and entrance is FREE - however you are advised to book ahead, which you can do online.






FRIDAY AUGUST 29TH - First hand voices

Come Friday I want to check out a new online resource which has recently been created by the 'communication' NGO Panos. They have just launched Video Voices as part of their Survival Strategies project, which presents first-hand accounts by the indigenous people of Madagascar about the ways they are dealing with environmental challenges of today in connection with their traditional cultural ways of farming. Panos, much like anthropology, aims to enable cross-cultural communication by listening to and understanding the experiences of people around the world and trying to make other people understand how and why they live like they do. There are lots of interesting resources on the website, so it's well worth a couple of hours of your time.



SATURDAY AUGUST 30TH - More technical wizardry

On last week's blog I mentioned the work of an anthropologist who has been working extensively in the development sector, looking at ways in which technology can be of benefit to the many projects therein. The author of that piece, Ken Banks, has very kindly been in touch and pointed me in the direction of another of his articles specifically on the relationship between anthropology and technology, and how he thinks it can make the world a better place. The article also includes a straightforward explanation of anthropology, which might be useful for any of you who are always getting asked exactly what it is they do!



SUNDAY AUGUST 31ST - Message in a bottle

Such are the wonders of the 'interweb', this week I'm blogging direct from the European Association of Social Anthropologists meeting in Ljublana, Slovenia. There are around 2000 anthropologists here discussing everything from spirit mediums to women's football in Romania, and from international migration to Serbian education systems. It's all based around the motto of 'experiencing diversity and mutuality' and lasts for four days. For those of you who aren't here, reports, photos and interviews will be posted on the website over the course of the conference, which should provide a fascinating insight into some of the different things anthropologists get up to and are interested in.



MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST - Watching the Guarani

Today sees the screening of a new Italian film about an indigenous community, called 'The Birdwatchers'. The only hitch with going to watch it is that it's at the Venice film festival, but I thought it worth mentioning on the blog anyhow for the fact that many of the actors are Guarani Indians, who see the film as a way of campaigning for recognition of their land rights, which have been steadily eroded by various corporations. The film depicts the love story between a Guarani and the daughter of one of the local landowners, amid all the problems that exist in the background, including the horrifically high suicide rate amongst the Guarani. It has an excellent website, where you can watch a trailer of the film, learn more about the issues involved and also look out for news of screenings in the future a little closer to home.







TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2ND - The race for The White House

With the US Presidential race hotting up fast, I was interested to read this week that Barack Obama's mother studied anthropology at university before he was even a twinkle in his eye. Perhaps some of the wisdom of anthropologists has survived in the gene pool (biology never was my strong point) because the Presidential hopeful seems to retain a number of anthropologist supporters because of his more liberal stance than the current incumbent. In the months leading up to November watch out for studious ethnographers everywhere sporting one of these rather natty 'Anthropologists for Obama' tshirts (I'll be getting mine in pomegranate). If you're particularly keen to get involved the producers also have a blog for signed-up members and Obama aficionados - the idea being that his first-hand experience of various cultures makes him more anthropologically minded.





WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3RD - Living and Dying

I'm back down at the British Museum today for a talk by anthropologist Lissant Bolton, who will be providing an Introduction to the Living & Dying gallery. The Gallery is a permanent collection curated by Lissant, who specialises in the Pacific, with a focus on 'gender and kastom in Vanuatu, and on the indigenous use of collections and cultural knowledge'. The exhibition looks at the ways different people around the world deal with issues of health, well-being and, on the other hand, illness and death. For a taster of what you might find there, you can view pictures of some of the objects on the website. The talk begins at 13.15 in Room 24 and last for 45 minutes - admission is FREE and you can just drop in.

Diary for 21st August to 27th August 2008

THURSDAY 21ST AUGUST - Texting for change

I was surprised last week to hear of an anthropologist gracing the pages of PC World - it just goes to show the breadth of subject matter that anthropology has to offer, and the many different specialisms. Ken Banks studied Anthropology and Development at Sussex University, and has since gone on to investigate the way technology, and more specifically mobile phones, can be used by grassroots organisations around the world to change lives. Anthropology and development are often closely linked because of their common focus on those living on the margins of society, and their partnership can be a positive force in encouraging policy-makers to look at things from another perspective, rather than relying on top-down presumptions. The article, and Banks' website, are an interesting example of how anthropology can help inspire career paths and decisions.





FRIDAY 22ND AUGUST - The world comes to Ireland

I'm popping over the Irish Sea today for the Festival of World Cultures, which is held annually in the port town of Dun Laoghaire. It's a carnival of music and arts from across the world, including contributors from places as diverse as Algeria, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco and many more. It aims to increase cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, as well, of course as the opportunity to have a good 'craic' at the same time. The Festival runs all weekend, and you can book online - do it fast though as some events are filling up already. There's everything from West African praise songs to performances from Japan's most distinguished geisha...





SATURDAY 23RD AUGUST - Remembering slavery

On Saturday I'm getting nautical and heading over to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, South East London. Today is the International Day for the Remebrance of the slave trade and its abolition, so the museum is holding a day of talks, discussion and music entitled 'resistance remembrance renaissance'. First up, beginning at 16.30, a panel of speakers will be discussing the 'cultural legacies' of slavery by looking at the role carnival plays in British society, how World War 1 impacted upon race, and a look at the first female black millionaire. Then, at 19.00, there will be a performance by British jazz trumpeter Abram Wilson and his band, in celebration of the first ever public performance of African American music in the UK (in 1873). The night wraps up at about 20.00, and tickets for the whole thing cost £8 (or £5 for just one of the two sessions) - it's a good idea to book ahead. There's also a series of other workshops going on throughout the day - have a look on the website for more information.


SUNDAY 24TH AUGUST - Loving the local

This Sunday provides the ideal opportunity to settle down and leaf through a new anthropological study of 'The Enduring Appeal of the Local', which has just been released by the Social Issues Research Council. It's based on a piece of research originally done in the 1930s when members of Massobs - the 'everyday anthropology' organisation mentioned from time to time on the blog - undertook a 2-year long look at the rituals of behaviour in Britain's pubs. They discovered that pubs were unique in British society for the amount of time and money that British people spent in them, but also and most importantly for the social interaction they offered...not necessarily the alcohol. The new report, which you can read in full online, comes to much the same conclusions and says that humans across the world will continue to meet for a drink, because it offers the basic face to face contact that all human relationships need - unlike relatively new methods such as mobile phones and facebook, for example. Bear in mind that the new report was commissioned by a pub chain when you read it though, - there's a chance it may have influenced some of the conclusions!


MONDAY 25TH AUGUST - Learning to observe

A very early heads-up today for an exciting event taking place next month that is almost guaranteed to sell out. Three film-makers with strong associations with anthropology, some of whose films are housed in the Royal Anthropological Institute's archive, will be present for a discussion on observational film-making. Beginning at 18.30, Kim Longinotto - acclaimed director of 'Divorce Iranian Style (and many more...) will be interviewed by two up-and-coming observational film-makers, including Simon Chambers, director of Every Good Marriage Begins with Tears, which was awarded the film prize at last year's RAI film festival. There will also be sneak previews of Longinotto's latest film. The event is taking place in the impressive setting of the BAFTA building in central London, and tickets, which can be booked online, cost £5 each.




TUESDAY 26TH AUGUST - Standing out in a crowd

According to author Tim Parks, who claims much of his work is inspired by anthropology, headhunters and pianists are very similar beings. He has just released a novel entitled Dreams of Rivers & Seas, which recounts the reunion of a son and mother, following the death of their father/husband. The deceased man in question had become an anthropologist during his lifetime, and elements of his character are based on the 1930s anthropologist Gregory Bateson, who pioneered a theory of society that suggested the individual's role in shifted according to the networks he/she was caught up in - previously it had been understood as predetermined. Whilst Batseon was studying 'headhunters' from Papua New Guinea, Parks suggests you can see similar things occurring even within families. If you want to know more you can read a review of the book here, or it is available in shops and online now.

WEDNESDAY 27TH AUGUST - Imagined reality

Continuing with yesterday's combination of anthropological 'reality' and imagination, today I'll be listening again to the first two programmes from a mini-series currently running on Thinking Allowed. 'Thinking and Place' looks at the ways in which artistic interpretation of locations, and the lived reality of daily experiences in those places, impact upon one another. The first episode featured a rural ethnographer in discussion with author Joanna Trollope about what constitutes the 'rural idyll' and how desirable that idyll in fact is... This week, it was the turn of the suburbs to come under examination - as social scientists discussed with author Will Self why the suburbs are so popular, yet so often ridiculed. Next week is a live show about imaginations of 'the city', some of whihc will be featured as a video on the Open University's linked website.