Anthropology Book Forum (E-Journal)
Not a member yet
405 research outputs found
Sort by
JESSICA BARNES, 2022, Staple Security: Bread and Wheat in Egypt, Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 296pp., ISBN 978-1-4780-1852-0
No full textn/
Fisher-Hunter-Gatherer Complexity in North America (2023): Edited by Christina Perry Sampson, Victor D. Thompson, and Scott M. Fitzpatrick
No full textReview of:
Sampson, Christina Perry, Victor D. Thompson, and Scott M. Fitzpatrick, eds. 2023. Fisher-Hunter-Gatherer Complexity in North America. First Edition. Gainesville: University Press of Florida
Review of The Fluvial Imagination
No full textHoag's book emphasizes the failures of governance systems to protect long-term ecological stability, as well as the pro-growth resource management strategies and social control methods aimed at promoting economic growth. As a study of environmental issues and an analysis of political-economic systems of governance, Hoag’s call for a more critical ecological science that incorporates considerations of political economy and history will appeal to students and scholars for its interdisciplinary insights. Anthropologists interested in environmental issues, economic systems, and governance should value it as a compelling critique of so-called development projects. Overall, Hoag’s work encourages readers to carefully reflect on the consequences of water commodification for both communities and ecosystems. Offering a critical lens for examining the interplay among livestock practices, ecological governance, and ecosystems, The Fluvial Imagination highlights the socio-economic dynamics that shape the lives of herders. By introducing concepts like the “ovicaprine mystique” and the “fluvial imagination,” Hoag encourages readers to rethink the implications of resource extraction and management strategies
Ancient DNA Under Scrutiny: Review of Interdisciplinary Reflections on Knowledge, Power, and Identity
No full textAs the first comprehensive inquiry of its kind, Critical Perspectives on Ancient DNA critically interrogates the practices, narratives, and sociocultural effects of archaeogenetics. Bringing together scholars from anthropology, archaeology, genetics, cultural history, media studies, and science and technology studies, the collection examines the epistemological and ontological challenges of ancient DNA (aDNA) research. Key themes include the fallibility of aDNA as incontrovertible evidence, the epistemic dominance of genetic frameworks over alternative knowledge systems, the risks of scientific racism and political instrumentalization, and the role of media in shaping public imaginaries of the past. Through case studies ranging from Neanderthal DNA to the “female Viking warrior” and genetic mapping in contemporary China, the chapters demonstrate that aDNA knowledge emerges not solely from laboratory analysis but from complex interactions between science, culture, and society. The volume ultimately challenges DNA essentialism and calls for interdisciplinary collaboration to resist molecular chauvinism, foregrounding the cultural contingencies and interpretive dimensions of archaeogenetics
Defending Rumba in Havana: The Sacred and Black Corporeal Undercommons (2025): By Maya J. Berry
No full textReview of:
BERRY, MAYA J. 2025. Defending Rumba in Havana: The Sacred and Black Corporeal Undercommons. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 311 pg., ISBN 978147803133
Enclaves of exception: Special economic zones and extractive practices in Nigeria: By Omolade Adunbi
No full textReview of:
OMOLADE ADUNBI, 2022, Enclaves of exception: Special economic zones and extractive practices in Nigeria. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 256 pp., ISBN 9780253059567
The Fourth Invasion: Decolonizing Histories, Extractivism, and Maya Resistance in Guatemala (2024): By Giovanni Batz
No full textBook review of:
GIOVANNI BATZ, 2024, The Fourth Invasion: Decolonizing Histories, Extractivism, and Maya Resistance in Guatemala, Oakland: University of California Press, 248 pp., ISBN 97805204017
Freedom in Captivity: Negotiations of Belonging along Kashmir's Frontier (2023): By Radhika Gupta
No full textReview of:
GUPTA, RADHIKA. Freedom in Captivity: Negotiations of Belonging along Kashmir's Frontier. Cambridge University Press, 2023. 232pp ISBN:978100920162
The Vulgarity of Caste: Dalits, Sexuality and Humanity in Modern India (2022): By Shailaja Paik
No full textShailaja Paik’s The Vulgarity of Caste delves into the lives of Dalit women engaged in Tamasha, a theatrical art form prevalent in Maharashtra, western India. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and archival research, Paik examines how these women’s lives are shaped by the shifting dynamics of casteist and patriarchal systems, as well as the sociocultural frameworks of value and hierarchy within broader Maharashtrian and Indian society. The monograph is structured into three sections and eight chapters, offering a historical and analytical perspective on the interplay between Tamasha and the women who perform it. Paik focuses particularly on the notions of vulgarity, stigma, and discrimination, revealing how these are employed by dominant communities in placing the Dalit women who performs Tamasha at the most alienated position. Simultaneously, Paik highlights the agency of these women, exploring the dialectics of oppression and resistance. She portrays Tamasha not only as a site of discrimination but also as a powerful form of resistance, emphasizing its role in challenging societal norms and asserting agency
A Tale of Two Surrogates (2025): Author Interview
No full textIn A Tale of Two Surrogates (2025), sociologist Elly Teman and anthropologist Zsuzsa Berend bring years of ethnographic research to life through the vivid and accessible medium of comics. The graphic novel delves into the complex emotional, medical, legal, and ethical terrain of assisted reproduction, following women whose lives intertwine through their experiences as gestational surrogates.
Blending scholarly insight with compelling visual storytelling, A Tale of Two Surrogates bridges the worlds of academia and popular narrative, offering both a window into the lived realities of surrogacy and a model for how comics can communicate social science.
Comics librarian and 2022 Eisner Award judge Jameson Rohrer sat down with Teman and Berend to discuss how this groundbreaking project came to be, what inspired their turn toward the graphic narrative format, and how visual storytelling can reshape the way we teach and understand ethnography