Readers might be interested in two positions — Principal Sector Specialist (Education) at the Australian Government Overseas Aid Program (AusAID) and Research and Recruitment Advisor for the Global Scholars Program at the Brookings Institution. The listings are embedded below:
HAU, Volume 2, Issue 2 is now online. It includes twenty-five manuscripts with contributions from leading cultural anthropologists from around the world. It is supported by HAU-N.E.T., a network of research centers and anthropology departments sponsoring and collaborating with the journal and the two connected book series and funded by the Sutasoma Trust, U.K., and the International Social Research Foundation (ISRF), U.K. Visit haujournal.org.
In an op-ed in The New York Times, cultural anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann discusses beliefs and practices of some U.S. evangelical groups who both take the Bible literally and creatively reinterpret its messages in order to build a strong personal link to God. She writes: “I am no theologian and I do not think that social science can weigh in on the question of who God is or whether God is real. But I think that anthropology offers some insight into why imaginatively enriching a text taken as literally true helps some Christians to hang on to God when they are surrounded by a secular world.” Some evangelicals she has interviewed consult God on what clothes to wear and imagine that they are having a cup of coffee with God as part of their day. Luhrman is professor in the department of anthropology at Stanford University. Her latest book, When God Talks Back, was selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2012.
• Mining versus cultural heritage in Afghanistan
The Toronto Star reported on the race to save archaeological artifacts at the 5,000 year-old Buddhist site of Mes Aynak, in southeastern Afghanistan. It is the likely victim of extractive mining development. The site sits atop a rich copper deposit, worth up to $100 billion. The remains of the once-thriving Silk Road town will be razed to make way for an open-pit mine run by a Chinese-owned mining consortium. Brent Huffman, a documentary filmmaker and journalism professor at Northwestern University, has spent a year recording the grim countdown to its demise in his film The Buddhas of Mes Aynak.
Himalayan Health Exchange (HHE) is organizing an anthropological field expedition to India from June 24 till July 15, 2013. Through an independent study/fieldwork in a remote Himalayan Tibetan Borderland, HHE will offer students a practical approach to the study of India and the Himalayan culture in a socio-cultural, medical and religious context. During their journey, team members will attend a 7-day medical clinic camp and have the opportunity to investigate local history, religious beliefs and practices, modern human adaptations, regional effects of globalization and monastic life. In addition, through trekking and camping in remote areas, they will participate in the interconnectedness of the magnificent natural environment with a daily local existence. This first-hand experience will be accompanied by daily academic lectures and research assistance.
For details, please contact: Himalayan Health Exchange: info@himalayanhealth.com or see www.himalayanhealth.com.
SIMA is a research training program offered by the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History with major funding from the Cultural Anthropology Program of the National Science Foundation. Dates: June 24 – July 19, 2013. The program seeks to promote broader and more effective use of museum collections in anthropological research by providing a supplement to university training. Application deadline in March 1, 2013. Applicants must submit a short statement of interest and an initial proposal for an individual research project. See full application instructions.
Columbia University announces its Indigenous Studies Summer Program on Indigenous People’s Rights and Policy at Columbia University. The program runs from June 3-14, 2013. The Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race (CSER) is now accepting applications from researchers, professionals, practitioners, and advanced students who wish to participate in an intensive two-week summer immersion program at Columbia University on indigenous peoples’ rights and policy.
The program provides an overview and analysis of the major questions in indigenous affairs today, as they have emerged globally in the last decades. The program has an interdisciplinary approach and incorporates lectures and workshops on the most recent and innovative academic research and policy debates on indigenous peoples’ issues. It is complemented by visits and lectures at the United Nations and state and indigenous peoples’ institutions.
Some experts suggest a retreat from the U.S. seaside, but they believe that many people are likely to ignore warnings. An article in the Calgary Herald quoted cultural anthropologist Ben Orlove, who is with Columbia University’s Center for Research on Environmental Sciences. He said: the default plan “is just restore.”
Two Cheers for Anarchism
• Big thinker learns from peasants
The New York Times carried a feature article about Yale political scientist — and cultural anthropologist — James C. Scott showcasing his new book, Two Cheers for Anarchism. The article situates Scott on his farm which is northeast of New Haven, Connecticut. “I’m as proud of knowing how to shear a sheep as I am of anything,” Scott is quoted as saying. He holds a joint appointment in anthropology and political science at Yale and is the founder of Yale’s agrarian studies program, as well as an unofficial founder of the field of resistance studies, starting with his classic book Weapons of the Weak. In another book, Seeing Like a State, Scott added a milestone to the social science literature critiquing top-down development. Happy birthday (this past Sunday) to James Scott, and many more!
Happy Birthday, James Scott
• Mining can help indigenous people
Professor Marcia Langton. Source: Colin Murty, The Australian.
When addressing the annual Indigenous Business Enterprise and Corporations Conference in Perth, Australia,
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