Cultural anthropology is not, overall, an events-driven field of study as are journalism and political science. But if, in recent times, there was to be an event that would inspire cultural anthropologists to apply their research skills and analytical insights, 9/11 is high on the list. Cultural anthropologists excel at looking at the local and seeing the global connections, or vice versa. Cultural anthropologists are about connections — between people, ideas, states, policies, contagion, and more.

What follows is a mini-bibliography, the result of a quick search in AnthropologyPlus through my university library’s electronic resources. It is not comprehensive. It is just a sample. But it offers tantalizing and important insights into what a cultural anthropology perspective has to offer in understanding the 9/11 event. Please note that AnthropologyPlus does not pull books or reports — only journal articles.

Of the over 30 articles listed below, several are focused on New York City. A few examine social responses and reactions elsewhere in North America and in some other countries around the world. Only one article, in this sample, looks at women. Some examine expressive culture (music, art).

Kelly (2002) published the earliest article, in this sample, about 9/11. Then, there is a bulge of papers in 2004. This gap between the event and anthropologists’ ability to collect and analyze data reflects both the positives and the negatives of traditional cultural anthropology. It takes so long (the negative) to produce high quality data (the plus). Continue reading “Cultural anthropology of 9/11” →