AnthroCurrents – May 2, 2014

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

In the Field

• The Lethbridge Herald covers the research of Jillian King, a graduate student in anthropology, who is interviewing Canadian parents about why they are vaccinating their children (or not). Immunization has been a hot topic in both the U.S. and Canada for the past few years, and King feels it is just as important to explore why parents do choose to vaccinate rather than concentrating on those who opt out.
• Most of us have used census data for one project or another. Al Jazeera discusses the sticky issue of race in U.S. census data. Some critics say that the questions do not accurately depict how people describe their own ethnicity, while others say that the inclusion of race questions legitimizes the idea that race is an actual physical property and not merely a social construct. This article might be worth printing and laminating.

How dare you, Sir!

• Anthropologists Are Afraid to Ask About Farting, says Colin Schultz in Smithsonian Magazine. You can use the comments section here to discuss amongst yourselves or–even better–take the discussion over to LinkedIn, which is unmoderated. Remember, if you don’t talk about it, they win!
• Last week, an anthropologist complexified (yes, that is a word) the link between a baby’s night-time cries and parents’ ability to add more children to the family. This week, two different anthropologists take a theory about allegedly promiscuous wide-hipped women and give it the business. Read along as blocks are pulled from the wobbly theory, Jenga-style.