AnthroCurrents December 22, 2017

I apologize for not having happier stories to lift the spirits at this time of year.  But I hope you’ll take a critical look at some of these issues, and, if they interest you, find a way to contribute to these conversations.  I included a few more than usual since you’re all most likely at “home” reading this over a nice cup of coffee/tea/water/spirits.

If you have a scientific American subscription, I’d check out this article about the evolution of trust in a digital economy by anthropologist Natalie Smolenski.  I’ve been ruminating a lot lately about how trust plays into our sense of community.  How does our digital economy impede/support our sense of community?  This is going to be an article folks continue to cite as AI and other technology advances.

Anthropologist Harvard Ayers shares the true loss of the arctic wildlife refuge, a cultural genocide for the subsistence communities who live there.

This one is more journalistic but if you’re unaware of what’s going on in Venezuela, you have to read this.  It’s horrific how quickly an economic collapse, in just two years, can lead to such devastating destruction of human lives.

Anthropologist, Aje Carlbom, reports that Swedish antisemitism is on the rise.

On the lighter side, check out this article about the social impacts of gift giving.