Anthropology Commons^™

A Time Of Transition: Globally And At Mgdr, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Deniz Atik, Zeynep Ozdamar Ertekin, Delphine Godefroit-Winkel

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

No abstract provided.

An “Other” Tongue: Nadsat As Anti-Language In A Clockwork Orange, Ian Hugo

The Graduate Review

In this essay, I explore how “Nadsat” is used in Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novella A Clockwork Orange. “Nadsat” is a constructed language that suffuses English vernacular with words and phrases of Russian origin, and it can often prove a significant obstacle to reader comprehension of the overall narrative. However, apart from merely acting as a whim of experimentalism, I argue that Nadsat serves a functional purpose in the text, drawing on research from a variety of fields including literary studies, psychology, philosophy, and linguistics. I begin by showing how Nadsat excludes those who do not “speak” it or (in …

What Is In A Plant Name? A Semantic Analysis Of Indigenous Plant Names Among The Yao Of Southern Tanzania, Julius John Taji

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This study investigates the meanings conveyed by indigenous plant names among the Yao of Masasi, southern Tanzania, whose native language is Chiyao (Bantu, P21). The study specifically explores what plant names communicate beyond functioning as tools for labelling and identifying. The data for the study were collected through semi-structured interviews and jungle-walk-and-identify methods and they were analysed using the framework of onomastics, particularly the area of phytonyms. The sample of the study consisted of nine native speakers of Chiyao from three villages in the Masasi District in Tanzania, namely Chiwata, Kanyimbi and Mkululu. The findings show that indigenous plant names …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Chinese Women’S Rising Refusal Of The Family : The Problems, The Resistance, The Post-Family And Post-Capitalist Work Imaginaries, Peier Chen

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

A new generation of Chinese women is questioning the family by examining internal contradictions in parent-child relationships, particularly in how intimacy and care are enacted, while also challenging the legitimacy of the family institution that underpins gendered divisions of labor and hierarchies. Some of them are revealing the problems within the family and refusing patriarchal marriage and family as their daily act of resistance. Their resistance extends beyond the family, into their workplaces, where gender division and hierarchies are also at work. This emerging phenomenon presses us to theorize today’s family problems, especially concerning those related to women’s gendered oppression, …

Food Insecurity Is Associated With Depressive And Anxiety Symptoms Among Caregivers Of Young Children In Arid And Semi-Arid Regions Of Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study, Esther Chongwo, Daisy Chelangat, Eunice Njoroge, Barack Aoko, Martha Kaniala, Moses Wesala, Phillis Magoma, Joyce Marangu, Margaret Kabue, Daniel Rabok

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Introduction: This study fills a critical gap by assessing the prevalence and association between food insecurity and depressive and anxiety symptoms among caregivers of young children in Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from caregivers of children aged 0–3 years from Lamu, Isiolo and Turkana Counties (N = 446). Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scales were used to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. We also administered the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, alongside sociodemographic and health-related questionnaires.

Results: The mean caregiver age was 29.37 years …

Sosialisme Dalam Utopia Subak: Pergeseran Dan Krisis Nilai Kolektivitas Di Era Bali Modern, Lucia Yerinta Destishinta, Budhi Cahyo Priadiantoro

Multikultura

As a system of irrigation and traditional organization in Bali, Subak has functioned for centuries in collectively managing the equitable distribution of water resources. Its role as a socio-ecological institution is based on local values; it reflects the principles of collectivity and mutual cooperation, which align with the idea of socialism. However, agricultural modernization and the expansion of agrarian capitalism have caused a shift in collective work patterns within the Subak system. Based on this phenomenon, this article aims to examine these changes from a socialist perspective and their implications for the sustainability of the agricultural system in Bali. Using …

The Mystery Of Choromytilus Chorus: Factors Affecting The Apparent Demise Of A Culturally Important Mollusk Along Western South America, Shelia Pozorski, Thomas Pozorski

Anthropology Faculty Publications

Choromytilus chorus virtually vanished from most Peruvian archaeological sites about 1000 BC. This species’ disappearance is significant because Choromytilus chorus is one of the most recognizable mollusks in the archaeological remains of coastal Peru because of its large size and rich purple color. In this study we investigate the choro mussel, which was a highly valued food source, a raw material for fishhooks and other fishing gear, and a special ritual item in prehistoric times. We look at inconsistencies in reports of its range, habitat, and ecology to explore reasons for the major shift southward of the species' northern limits …

Papernest Media: A Collaborative Multimedia Research Project, Susie V. Mabry

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Papernest Media is a collaborative multimedia research project that contextualizes the history and contemporary status of insect commodities as traditional food, tourist fare, and natural dye in Oaxaca, Mexico. Our interdisciplinary team of Anne E. Pfister, PhD in Applied Medical Anthropology, Alex Kledzik, BA in Sociology and Susie Mabry, UNF International Studies, came together in 2024 to produce a short film accompanying the exploratory phase of a larger ethnographic investigation. In July 2024, we traveled to Oaxaca during a peak season and the annual Guelaguetza festival to investigate the touted sustainability of edible insects in a region known for its …

October 28, 2025 Nagpra And Tribal Relations Committee Meeting Minutes, Bryan Morey

University NAGPRA and Tribal Relations Committee

October 28, 2025 minutes for the WKU NAGPRA and Tribal Relations Committee meeting. Meeting conducted via Zoom.

Unshrouding Narratives, Beliefs, And Practices Related To The Aye-Aye (Daubentonia Madagascariensis) In Eastern Madagascar, Alessio Anania, Fiona Besnard, Delaid C. Rasamisoa, Erito Andriantsitoherina, Jean Fidele Mosa, Marco Campera, Megan Phelps, Dean Gibson, Timothy M. Eppley, Giuseppe Donati

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ethnoprimatology emphasizes the complex sociocultural dimensions of human-alloprimate interactions, often overlooked in conservation practices and narratives shaped by ecological perspectives alone. In Madagascar, lemurs are deeply embedded in local traditions structured around taboos, legends, and kinship beliefs. Among them, the aye-aye ( Daubentonia madagascariensis ) is frequently subject to a narrative portraying it as an evil animal, an omen, or a harbinger of misfortune. Yet, cultural representations of the aye-aye across Madagascar are far more diverse. While some reports describe ritual killings, others recount respectful mortuary practices bestowed upon these primates. We explored the beliefs, narratives, and practices associated with …

Object Play In Tsimane Children: Implications For Sex-Specific Division Of Labour, Ava Moser, Michael D. Gurven, Hillard Kaplan, Benjamin C. Trumble, Jonathan Stieglitz, Paul Hooper, Daniel Cummings, Adrian Jaeggi, Kathelijne Koops

ESI Publications

Sex-specific division of labour and the associated use of different subsistence techniques by males (e.g. hunting) and females (e.g. gathering) has played an important role in shaping human societies. Skills needed in adulthood are practiced in play during childhood and object play has been proposed to foster tool-use skills necessary for adult subsistence techniques. Here, we investigated sex differences in the ontogeny of object play in Tsimane children in Bolivia to understand its potential role in shaping gender-specific adult roles. We used observational data (>80,000 scan samples) from nine Tsimane communities collected between 2002 and 2007. We analysed age …

Adjudicating Atrocity: Reading Hitesh Verma V State Of Uttarakhand As A "Landmark" Case In The Judicial Discourse On Caste Violence, Tejaswi Chhatwal

Socio-Legal Review

This article critically examines the Supreme Court’s judgment in Hitesh Verma v State of Uttarakhand (2020) and argues for reading it as a “landmark trial” in the judicial undoing of reform—namely, the statutory changes introduced by the 2016 Amendment to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. Existing socio-legal scholarship on atrocity jurisprudence has shown that the judicial understanding of caste violence and doctrinally instituted evidentiary standards have historically operated to invisibilise caste from crime’s framework. As a result, most instances of caste-based discrimination and violence have not been named as offences of “atrocity” under the …

Soil Ph Analysis Of Pig Decomposition In Southeast Nebraska, Camryn Nelson, William Belcher

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

This study investigated the effects of a decomposing pig carcass on soil pH in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem of Southeast Nebraska, using pigs as proxies for human decomposition. The experiment spanned 171 days, encompassing decomposition stages from fresh to advanced decay. Soil samples were collected at regular intervals from four cardinal directions (north, east, south, west) and distances (0, 33, 66, and 100 cm) from the carcass to analyze changes in pH over time. Results indicated that decomposition significantly influenced soil pH, with the most dramatic changes occurring on the south side of the carcass, where the pig burst. pH …

The Public Parks Paradox: Look But Don't Touch, Michael Sheridan, Claire Babbott-Bryan

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

Buenos Aires, Argentina is one of the least green cities in the world, with estimates of 1.5 - 6m² of green space per person – far below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of 15m². Neoliberal policies continue to fragment and privatize the city’s green spaces, posing serious threats to public health. The remaining parks in Buenos Aires employ physical barriers to preserve the park’s green elements, including metal gates (often painted green), restricted gardens and quads, and signs that prohibit stepping on the grass. These barriers deprive opportunities for sensory engagement, reducing park users’ interactions to passive visual and …

Exploring The Democratic Challenges And Potential Of Alternative Education, Maria Menegaki

Democracy & Education

Does an assembly make a school a democratic space? What happens if a participant is not interested? Democracy for innovation or democracy for social transformation? Can a democratic school be neutral and apolitical? These are some of the questions this article will try to discuss by focusing on democratic aspects of alternative educational proposals. Based on an anthropological, ethnographic, and comparative study of three alternative schools and educational projects in Catalonia, this article sheds light on the challenges and contradictions but also the potential hidden behind such initiatives. More specifically, it first explores educational change in Catalonia through time and …

If We Tear It Down, We Might Build You A New One: The Troublesome Use Of Eminent Domain And Urban Neighborhood Swimming Pools, Steven N. Waller Ph.D., James H. Bemiller

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Public swimming pools are a vital part of America’s recreation and sport culture since the early 1900’s. Municipal swimming pools were initially built to provide recreation and hygiene to urban communities, regardless of race or class. However, a complex history of segregation, civil unrest, suburbanization, and funding challenges has resulted in a significant decline in public pools, depriving many communities of vital recreational spaces. In many communities, options for sustaining the operation of swimming pools have resulted in pool closures. Unfortunately, once swimming pools close, especially those in aging neighborhoods in central city areas, they are seldom resurrected. They quickly …

From The Heaviest, Dirtiest Depths To The Washy Ambient Clouds: Guitar Timbre In/As Schismogenesis In North American Christianity, Joshua K. Busman, Nathan Myrick

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

This essay argues that within the socio-cultural context of North American Christianity, the timbral qualities of electric guitar, with its long lineage as a site of cultural values conflict and identity negotiation, serves a theological function in the emerging and cohering sonority of digital worship. Using as comparative case studies the timbral qualities of delay and ambience as promoted and sold by Worship Tutorials as representing normative sonic values for these Christians, on the one hand, and the dialectic and schismatic deployment of distortion by the band My Epic on the other, we suggest that these timbral qualities become important …

Book Review: Borderland Dreams: The Transnational Lives Of Korean Chinese Workers, By June Hee Kwon, Xiaoying Jin

Asia Pacific Perspectives

No abstract provided.

Contributors

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

Contributors to Volume 4.

From A Shtetl House To An Urban Apartment: The Soviet Jewish Home Negotiated, Transformed, And Reimagined, Anna Kushkova

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

This essay argues that despite the powerful forces of assimilation, official campaigns against Jewish religion/languages, and grassroots/state antisemitism, the “Jewish home” did not disappear, as is sometimes assumed, but continued to present a site of Jewish ethnic production and transmission, creativity, and resistance during the Soviet regime. In the Soviet Union, especially in the postwar period, Jewish ethnic culture was forced to leave the public sphere, where it became unwelcome and even dangerous, and withdrew into the less visible space of domestic interiors. The degree of Jewish public presence varied geographically: the situation was generally better in the Baltic Republics, …

Hiding From Kohanim: Covering Hands, Faces, And Children With A Tallit During The Priestly Blessing, Zvi Ron

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

When the priestly blessing is performed as part of prayer services in both Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities, many of the members of the congregation can be seen covering themselves with their tallit, and also covering their children. The practice evolved from the Talmudic reference of not looking at Kohanim while they recite this blessing in the Temple, because of the Divine Presence resting on their hands and the belief that looking at it would damage a person’s vision. Later authorities expanded this to blessings outside the Temple as well, leading to the practice of Kohanim covering themselves and their outstretched …

The Uncanny, The October 7 Massacre, And The Folktale “The Wolf And The Kids” (Atu 123), Ravit Raufman

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

Following Freud’s claim that folktales do not necessarily evoke uncanny experiences, this essay presents a case in which a folktale brought to life in the form of real-world events evokes uncanny experiences. The essay examines testimonies from the October 7 events in light of the folktale identified as “The Wolf and the Kids” (ATU 123) and proposes that beyond the horrors that occurred in the massacre, the comparative discussion reveals an additional level of terror, related to the way fairy tale experiences take on flesh and bone.

“Holy Trash” And The Tears Of The Deceased: The Emotional Role Of Genizot For The Jewish Communities Of Central Europe, Nathanael Riemer

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

Since the 1980s, more than seventy genizot (Heb., repositories) have been rediscovered in former synagogues of Central Europe. A genizah is a room in or near a synagogue where damaged, discarded, or heretical texts and sacred relics are stored. This essay examines where, when, and why genizot developed in Central Europe. It also analyzes the emotional significance of the genizot for their respective communities. Historical and literary sources show that genizot were placed in the synagogue attics of Jewish metropolises from the seventeenth century at the latest and were usually not ritually buried. Smaller communities in rural regions adopted this …

Contributors

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

Contributors to Volume 3.

“Have I Asked The Name Of That Fish?”: Synagogue Humor In Contemporary Hungary, Richard Papp

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

Jews who remained in Hungary after the Shoah almost completely abandoned their religious life because of the communist regime’s politics of assimilation. After the regime change in 1989, synagogue attendance rose and a renewed interest in ethnic-religious traditions was evident among Hungarian Jews. However, not knowing the ethnic traditions, they were unable to follow the religious commandments. Ethnographic observation in a synagogue in Budapest shows that ensuing communal tensions were eased by humor. Humor also became a marker of identity in the synagogue, by which even those who did not fully follow religious norms identified themselves as “imperfect but religious …

Theorizing Rabbinic Folklore: The Miraculous Sleep Of The Holy Man, Gal Sela

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

The miraculous sleep (ATU 766) is a well-known, recurring tale-type observed in Abrahamic folktales since the Second Temple period. This study compares variants of ATU 766 on three levels of analysis: as a popular tale in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim writings from late antiquity and early medieval times; as a Jewish rendition; and as a multiple tale-type in rabbinic literature. The analysis engages with Dan Ben-Amos’s critical work concerning the use of syntactic methods in folklore studies to analyze Midrash and Aggadah. The essay offers a new theoretical perspective on rabbinic folklore using the notions of tale-type, ecotype, …

Editorial: Jewish Cultural Scholarship And Scholars—And Their Institutions—Under Duress, Simon J. Bronner, Amy K. Milligan, Tsafi Sebba-Elran

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

The editors of Jewish Folklore and Ethnology (JFE) express concern about intimidation and estrangement of Israeli and Jewish professors in the international academic community after the surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The editors point out that these types of hurtful antisemitic incidents against Israeli and Jewish academics preceded the attack, and they call on their colleagues and administrators to voice their outrage at the harassment, boycotts, and violence against Israeli and Jewish academics in addition to the suppression of Jewish studies, and their adverse effects on scholarship as well as Jewish students and their …

The Reciprocity Of Misfortune: The Little Tradition Of Disasters In The Philippines, Greg Bankoff, Bianca Angelien Aban Claveria, David Lozada Iii, Camille L. Silva

History Department Faculty Publications

Just as there is a great and little tradition in religion and civilization, there is a great and little tradition in disaster. This article explores the origins of community resilience in rural areas of the Philippines based on local reciprocity and cooperation and how ­ these customary practices form the basis of national disaster risk-­reduction policies. The endless strug­gle to feed and shelter a family and contend with repeated hazards, whether natu­ral or human-­induced, promotes collective action. There is a need to cooperate with neighbors, a web of dyadic and community relationships born out of necessity that constitutes a “reciprocity …

Comparing The Consistency Between Age Estimations Across Various Three-Dimensional Model Creation Methods In An Attempt To Find A Practical Proxy For Physical Remains, Jeanne R. Wood

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine whether digital three-dimensional models can serve as a viable alternative to physical human remains to allow continued research on fragile physical specimens. As digital three-dimensional models have become increasingly prevalent in anthropological and archaeological research, it is essential to assess their limitations and capabilities, particularly for subjective assessments that rely heavily on visual interpretation (Remondino & El-Hakim, 2006). While previous studies have focused on the use of digital three-dimensional models for quantitative measurements, their effectiveness for subjective analyses remains unclear (Cooper et al., 2003; Sholts et al., 2010; Stull et al., 2014; …