The Nacirema are a large and diverse group of people who live south of Canada and north of Mexico (spell the tribal name backward in case you haven’t figured out who they are). In the mid-20th century, Horace Miner wrote a clever parody about the culture of this tribe. The nickname continues to have some [...]
The US Department of Education has repealed a 2005 Bush-era policy that made it easy for high schools and colleges to avoid compliance with a federal law mandating equal opportunities for female students in schools and colleges that receive federal aid, specifically in terms of athletics.
One way to comply with Title IX was to use [...]
Guest post by Laura Wilson
Some development and humanitarian aid experts now argue that focusing on masculinity and emasculation during a complex emergency, rather than on women and girls, may be more effective at preventing or reducing gender-based violence. On January 15th, the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) held a panel discussion titled “The Other [...]
• Cultural anthropologist on key aspect of Haitian devastation
It’s rare that a cultural anthropologist is quoted on the front page of The New York Times or of any of the mainstream media. So it’s especially noteworthy when it happens. In this case, the article is even above-the-fold. “Burials without Rituals” describes the extreme psychological stress [...]
As you may have heard, New York Times columnist David Brooks recently wrote about how Haiti’s culture is mired down by vodou and is anti-progress. And as you might imagine, his comments drew a lot of criticism from cultural anthropologists and others who have spent time in Haiti and with Haitian people.
Brooks apparently adheres to [...]
No pill can cure poverty. This is an old truth but one that needs repeating. Again and again. An article in the prestigious American Journal of Public Health (reprints can be ordered at the journal’s website) reminds me of this need. Three co-authors with Ph.D.s, two of whom have nursing experience, have published a “Field [...]
This list is intended to provide a guide to recent resources on culture and society in Haiti for people who wish to be better informed about the context in which the recent earthquake and its devastation are occurring. With apologies, most of the journal articles are not public access.
Furthermore, we really encourage everyone to visit [...]
Chagas disease affects 8 – 10 million people in the Americas. Previously limited to the rural poor, it is spreading to the poor of urban areas. A qualitative, interview-based study (PDF file) of five per-urban communities of Arequipa shows that men who have recently migrated to the city’s “new shantytowns” from the countryside are most [...]
