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Last week, a team of scientists announced a fascinating new find: the remains of numerous individuals from a brand new species of hominid, called Homo naledi.  Once again we are reminded that this story is still very much being written, … Continued

And so it begins: we talk about something in class, then it shows up in the news!  In response to a study linking student performance in high school to sleep, British schools are experimenting with a 10am start time.  A … Continued

One of the days of my recent workshop in southern Italy was spent making cheese in an old shepherd’s house, abandoned for over 150 years but reborn as a place to make and talk about cheese and the people that … Continued

 One of the many interesting things I learned in my recent work in southern Italy is that increasingly the menial jobs of agriculture, like shepherding and dairying, is being done by immigrants.  In part this is because of a shared … Continued

What is race, and what does it mean?!  Big questions in anthropology classes for sure, but now I am interested to see it play out in the media.  An unusual story to be sure, but Rachel Dolezal’s declaration that she … Continued

When the Catholic missionaries arrived in the Americas, it was common practice to demolish indigenous temples (now considered archaeological sites protected by various forms of legislation) and reuse the building materials to construct a church in the same location.  Some of … Continued

This happens to me all the time: I talk about something in class, and then the topic comes up in the media.  In yesterday’s Times Colonist Jack Knox wrote an article about the Coast Guard getting recognized for their role … Continued

I have just learned a new term: Columbusing.  Perhaps you have noticed that I am uncomfortable with the idea that Columbus “discovered” the Americas, which suggests that the New World was empty, or just plain didn’t exist until it was … Continued