I was sick the whole week. Only a cold though, so I’m already fit again.
We had the first class in Theory and History and I was positively surprised. The course was a perfect reason for me to pick up an orange paperback volume from 1984 from my bookshelf: Ritualized Homosexuality in Melanesia, edited by Gilbert H. Herdt. I read chapter 4, which seemed to be the core text, written by Herdt himself. To this I added Deborah A. Elliston’s 1995 critique of Herdt. I’ve emailed the lecturer to ask in which unit these readings could fit, since we’re supposed to choose a unit (a person/theory) to present on. I’m guessing (and hoping) Said. Elliston even uses the concept of “erotic ethnocentrism”.
My project in Digital Anthropology lingers slightly as I try to gather more research participants. We had the second out of three colloquia this week.
Continued watching Mr Robot season 3. Overall the series has turned into a more traditional TV series, but a pretty good one. Rewatching Fight Club I realised what a total ripoff Mr Robot is in certain respects. Like, total. Which also was the reason for the rewatch, I just didn’t realise how close it was. Mr Robot is like a cover or remix of a hit. I usually prefer covers over the originals anyway, so that doesn’t bother me at all. As for Fight Club I think Chuck Palahniuk’s novel from 1996 is brilliant and seminal, in that it captured the zeitgeist of an era that wouldn’t manifest until 20 years later. And the film is of course excellent.
Study
Theory and History of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Unit 1
Unit 1.1: Introduction (Theory/History and Knowledge/Politics)
- Singh, Bhrigupati, and Jane I. Guyer (2016): Introduction: A joyful history of anthropology. In HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory 6, no. 2, pp. 197-211.
- Video: Dead Anthropologists Play Golf in Heaven: Anthropological Theory (2013, 15 min)
Unit 1.2: How to Read/Review Etnographic Texts and Other Media
- Taylor, Gordon (1989): 3: Interpretation: reading and taking notes. In A Student’s Writing Guide: How to Plan and Write Successful Essays (2009 edition), pp. 53-88.
Extra
Readings related to my research:
- Boellstorff, Tom, Bonnie Nardi, Cecilia Pearce, and T.L. Taylor (2012): Ethnography and Virtual Worlds. Handbook of methods:
- 6: Interviews and virtual worlds research (pp. 92-112)
Readings related to Theory and History:
- Herdt, Gilbert H. (1984): 4. Semen Transactions in Sambia Culture. In Ritualized Homosexuality in Melanesia, pp. 167-210.
- Elliston, Deborah A. (1995): Erotic Anthropology: “Ritualized Homosexuality” in Melanesia and beyond. In American Ethnologist, Vol. 22, No. 4 (November 1995), pp. 848-867.
Other
Articles
- The Economist: UNIQLO’s founder plots a way to beat Zara and H&M
- The New York Review of Books: America’s Original Identity Politics (skimmed)
- AJE Scholar: Making the Choice: Open Access vs. Traditional Journals
- Delicious Brains: Is Gutenberg the End or a New Beginning for WordPress?
- Quote Investigator: Now We’re Just Haggling Over the Price
- Jan Guillou: Influencers tror att de kan avskaffa demokrati – med ett debattinlägg
Film
- Dr Jekyll. and Mr. Hyde (1931, 98 min)
- Fight Club (1999, 139 min)
- Everyone Says I Love You (1996, 101 min) – why?
- Jón Bjarki Magnússon: Even Asteroids Are Not Alone (2018, 17 min – machinima!)
- Beauty and the Bleach. Skin-whitening trend ravages Senegalese women
Podcast & radio
- Techdirt Podcast Episode 198: Life Without The Tech Giants
- Sveriges Radio P1/Kropp & Själ: Sex som självskada
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