I like to use the categories on our homepage to surf through old posts, looking for oldies but goodies to re-post on slow days. I also like to read and think about anthropology and sociology and I can count on finding something here to get my mental juices flowing. And like Mark describes below, I like to think about social science in terms of strategy and innovation. I think that if you want to make it as an anthropologist or sociologist outside of academia, you have to adopt a “broader and more holistic approach” to ethnographic work.…
Category: Blogs by Mark
Why I Chose Not to Get a PhD
This was originally published here on ethnography.com in April, 2012. Why did you choose to get a PhD (or not)?
I got to spend some time with a friend recently that decided some time ago to restart her PhD work. She is already ABD, but is starting the dissertation over from scratch. My question was “Why?” She is a well-respected professional, and within the her field a PhD will likely be of limited benefit professionally compared to the mountain of work ahead of her, not to mention the expense involved.…
Applying Rolling Cohort Analysis to Unstable countries
A few year ago, I was working at Kodak and friend and I were talking about the idea of Rolling Segmentation. More recently, we have been talking about how it relates to how that thinking can be applied to issues of instability and insurgency.
I have not given the idea much thought for the last few years, and on rethinking about rolling segmentations/cohorts now, I have more questions than answers. …
Undergrad Seminar: Time Management
Here we are in the 2nd half of the academic year. If the 1st half got off to a rocky start, maybe this is a good time to talk about time management. Not the “The 7 habits of that smugly overambitious go-getter” variety. This is aimed more at the “How can I squeeze school into my hectic schedule of procrastination and binge drinking” style. In other words, for the rest of us.…
When do IEDs quit being IEDs? Why are we still treating insurgent munitions as folk arts?
I started as a university student, I was studying folklore and material culture, and IED’s certainly qualify as material culture that has the potential to tell you something beyond basic forensics. In this entry I am looking at IEDs using the language of business, innovation and ___________ ? The idea is to see what insights can be gained from thinking about IEDs outside of the military language.
We still read about IED’s in the popular media as if they are a folk art or the equal of some kind of primitive booby-trap.…
EPIC 2012 Call for Submissions
If you have never been to EPIC or submitted for it, it is a great conference for anthropologists, engineer, designers, government types, or anyone else interested in how to bring user experience into the decision making process.
Here is the notice:
You can access it on the website here: http://epiconference.com/2012/
To join the EPIC mailing list, go here: http://eepurl.com/hSU-c
We also recently added some information about the conference hotel and wonderful Savannah to whet your appetite & help you plan ahead.…
American Anthropological Association dissolves, decides to start over tomorrow.
APG Newswire WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Anthropological Association (AAA) made the announcement today that its Joint Committee for Publishing and Employment Services unanimously recommended the immediate dissolution of the AAA, stating there was nothing left to study.
James Curry, the newly-past President of the now defunct AAA, stated the organization had no choice. “Look, it’s all been done. All of it. We have talked to every god forsaken group on the planet, and there is nothing left to study.”…
Undergrad Seminar: How long should this paper be?
Every student wants to know “How long should this paper be?” I think that’s a pretty reasonable question, but for some reason instructors sometimes treat this question like one of the deadly sins. Ironically, when your instructor is asked to present a paper, they are given the answer to that very question at the beginning! Conferences state how long the abstract should be, how long the sessions are, how many participants and often how long they personally have to speak.…
Undergrad Seminar: Why Incompletes Are So Dangerous
Here we are in the 2nd half of the academic year. If the 1st half got off to a rocky start, maybe this is a good time to talk about time management. Not the “The 7 habits of that smugly overambitious go-getter” variety. This is aimed more at the “How can I squeeze school into my hectic schedule of procrastination and binge drinking” style. In other words, for the rest of us.…
Blogging is soooooooooo 2006
This is the time of year when blogs talk about their top posts for the 2009, the most important issues in their area of interest and otherwise reflecting with great insight on the past year or decade. I promise this blog will continue its long held tradition to avoid insights at all costs. So forward, forward I say.
But what to natter on about? I don’t have much interest in the debate about the military/cultural anthropology “conversation” any more.…
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. …