Anthropology in the News

image ©Jen Hubers In recent years anthropology has received greater media attention in Britain, as new TV series (BBC and commercial) have gained popularity with the general public. While these series are often, at least in part, entertainment-driven, their producers regularly consult anthropologists on their work, or have anthropologists working as researchers on the production. In addition, the application of anthropological research to issues such as environmental sustainability, human rights and responsible tourism, has broadened the discipline’s public profile.

The RAI’s journal Anthropology Today regularly features anthropology in the news, and publishes articles linking anthropological research to broader public debates.

The following section lists some articles recently published in British and North American newspapers (such as The Guardian, The Times and the Globe and Mail) that mention anthropology or anthropologists’ work. To facilitate use of these articles, they are categorised by subject matter or specialist area within the discipline.

Newspaper articles are a very valuable teaching and learning resource. They provide not only useful information, but also insight into how people outside the discipline view and communicate about anthropology, and more broadly, the multiple factors involved in determining which anthropological topics come to be covered in the public media.

New articles are continually being added to this page. If you come across a newspaper article you would like to see added here, please email Nafisa Fera at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Academia

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/feb/07/highereducationprofile.academicexperts - an interview with anthropologist Professor Caroline Humphrey about her life and research (published in 2006).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/jul/17/highereducationprofile.academicexperts- an article about Professor Melissa Leach's research and the importance of ethnographic research (published in 2007).

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/science/10anthropology.html - an article about the restructuring of the American Anthropology Association’s ‘long term plan’ for the discipline(published 2010).

Biological Anthropology

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5364630.stm - an article about the discovery of a skeleton from a species thought to be a precursor to the first true humans (published in 2006).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4674866.stm - an article about the infertility of Oetzi, the prehistoric man frozen in a glacier for 5300 years (published in 2006).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/sep/01/1 - a video on the interbreeding between neanderthals and humans by Professor Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany (published 2011).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/aug/31/hand-axes-oldest-advanced-stone-tools -an article which looks at a recent discovery of hand tools in Kenya which suggests early humans were wielding sophisticated stone tools at least 300,000 years earlier than thought. (published 2011)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jul/27/higher-latitudes-bigger-eyes-brains - an article which looks at human evolution and environmental adaptation in higher latitudes (published 2011).

Careers

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/graduate_management/article712399.ece - an article about career options for anthropology graduates (published in 2006).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/01/universityguide.anthropology - an article which looks at choosing anthropology as a university subject (published 2008).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/aug/21/anthropology-degree-career-options - an article that provides insight into the types of careers available to students of anthropology (published 2010).

http://www.university-list.net/uk/rank/univ-10069.html - an article which ranks universities teaching anthropology (published 2011).

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2004-11-08-anthro-tech_x.htm - an article about adapting anthropology to the workplace (published in 2005).

http://eclectic.ss.uci.edu/~drwhite/center/news/USAToday5-25-99.htm - an article highlighting the importance of anthropologists in business (published in 1999).

Ceremonies and Rituals

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6217502.stm - an article about the importance of the Saisiyat people’s legend and ritual ceremony (published in 2006).

Conservation

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/03/yosemite-conservation-indigenous-people – an article about the mutual respect between conservationists and indigenous people in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains (published in 2009).

Ethnomusicology (Anthropology and Music)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jan/24/popandrock-worldmusic/print - an article about a student of anthropology who became a music producer (published in 2009).

Fieldwork and Research

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3645594.stm - an article about an anthropologist’s research in Madagascar and his experiences writing for the President (published in 2004).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/feb/14/academicexperts.highereducation - an article about anthropologist Professor Jean Ensminger and her work with Kenyan nomads (published in 2006).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/21/john-campbell-obituary – an article about anthropologist Professor John Campbell who carried out fieldwork in Greece from the mid-50s (published in 2009).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/21/john-campbell-obituary -an article exploring the controversies of anthropologists being employed by the military (published 2008).

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/ethics/2008-12-08-anthropologists-soldiers_N.htm - another article looking at the controversies of anthropologists being involved in military operations (published 2008).

Race and Ethnicity

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/apr/20/science.media - an article about the planning of the Planet Earth film series (published in 2007).

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2010/05/anthropologists-condemn-arizona-immigration-law/1 - an article featuring the dispute between state officials of Arizona and anthropologists regarding the newly passed immigration law and its potential for unfair racial profiling (published in 2010).

Visual Anthropology

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/mar/14/television - an article about the anthropologist and filmmaker Kim Longinotto (published in 2006).

Disclaimer: The RAI accepts no responsibility for material written by external parties or the content of external websites. The above articles are listed for information only; inclusion implies no endorsement or otherwise on the RAI’s part.