AnthroCurrents – February 6, 2015

A biweekly look at recent stories on anthropology and practicing anthropologists in the popular media

Notables

• A Montana middle school was named for anthropologist Joe Medicine Crow. The Billings Gazette provides an overview of Medicine Crow’s life and achievements.
• Christian Science Monitor profiles Helen Mack Chang, sister of anthropologist Myrna Mack Chang who was the victim of a state-sponsored assassination in Guatemala 15 years ago.

Teens

• A new United Way campaign aimed at preventing teen pregnancy has sparked some controversy in Milwaukee. One side believes the campaign is helping teens to understand the consequences of unprotected sex, while the other, including two anthropologists who run the Hear Our Stories project, feel that the campaign is misguided and stigmatizes teen parents.
• Speaking of students, some schools are now embracing students’ use of social media rather than portraying it as one of the world’s many dangers. The OC Register talked to anthropologist Mimi Ito when explaining that more schools are now using social media to communicate with students.

Transmission

• New Zealand has the most sheep per person of any country, yet sheep’s milk is still considered a specialty food item. Anthropologist Carolyn Morris talks about how to get sheep’s milk onto New Zealanders’ breakfast tables.
• The BBC examines what makes urban legends such a persistent part of Western culture. They tap University of Durham anthropologist Jamie Tehrani for his take.