Classical Sociology is typically considered to be a course about the three “classics” of sociology who are Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and W. E. B. DuBois. Marx tells us why capitalism and materialism is important for organizing society, Weber explains that the spirit of capitalism and a religious-like ethic in uniformity which he calls “rationality.” As for Durkheim, he actually explains what religion and morality are, as well as why it is important to have “deviants” who will mark out the boundaries to society of what is moral.…
Month: December 2009
As part of the holiday tradition, we present “Mr. Krewstyscabbe’s Night Before Christmas.”
“Twas the night before Christmas” written by Nicholas Krewstyscabbe*
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
For they had been smooshed and flattened and relieved of their feet
By a ghastly young girl that claimed “ADD!”
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
Coated in retardant that befouled the air
But the FDA approved it, they pushed it right through!…
AAA Issues Report on Human Terrain Teams
The American Anthropological Association has issued a report on the Human Terrain Team experiment that the military has undertaken. The report is nuanced and thoughtful, and I recommend that interested people have a look here. AAA Report on Human Terrain Teams
Judging from my admittedly quick read, studies about the use of anthropology are now moving beyond blow-torch advocacy of one position or the other, and acknowledging the ethical dilemmas created when contracting, military action, and academics mix. …
Johnny Cash, my family witch craft and why it is so ordinary.
My family – mother and father sides – are from the Appalachian regions. We are from, as my father said “Coal miners and dirt farmers.” I was the 3rd person in either family to ever get a college degree, my father and older brother being the 1st and 2nd. When dad was younger he worked the Ohio river: on tugs, in bars and a little bit of coal mining and petty larceny as he worked his way to becoming a doctor.…
“The Onion” continues to support all four fields of anthropology
Internet Archaeologists Find Ruins Of ‘Friendster’ Civilization!!
…
Here is a call for papers, a nice reason to see Liverpool in the Fall.
The 5th Annual Joint University of Liverpool Management School and Keele University Institute for Public Policy and Management Symposium on Current Developments in Ethnographic Research in the Social and Management Sciences.
In Association with the Journal Ethnography
Work, Organisations and Ethnography
Wednesday 1st – Friday 3rd September 2010
Venue:
Queen Mary, University of London. Mile End Road, London, England
Call for Papers
In recent years, ethnography has become an increasingly popular mode of research enquiry within the social and management sciences.…
Contemporary Ethnography Across the Disciplines Hui
This announcement showed up in my e-mail, nicely formatted too:
Contemporary Ethnography Across the Disciplines Hui
17 – 19 November 2010
University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Kia ora koutou (Greetings to everyone)!
New Zealand’s first international ethnography hui will give participants the opportunity to meet with like-minded researchers and experience the rich cultural tradition that is Aoteaoroa, New Zealand. The hui, or conference gathering, will take place at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand from 17-19 November, 2010, with exciting pre-conference workshops scheduled for the afternoon of Monday 16 November 2010. …
Now Available for your Xmas giving, Chief Culture Officer by Grant McCracken!
I am pleased to let people know about a new book by fellow social science innovator, Grant McCracken. Hi book ” Culture and Consumption: New Approaches to the Symbolic Character of Consumer Goods and Activities” was a major inspiration for me when I started my career in design anthropology and have have been reading his blog ever since. (Grant, please..please go back to the old format!). Below is the press release, and I will follow up after I give it a read. …