COMMUNITAS

How can public anthropology be pursued? What are the potentials of crossing disciplinary boundaries? And how can the exhibition, as a method, be used for such purposes?

Jason De León is Professor of Anthropology and Chicana/o Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. In his work, Jason draws upon ethnographic methods, archaelogy and forensic science, in order to approach the field of Latin American migration. Jason brings us upon a road not so often trodden, reflecting upon the relationship between academia and activism, hierarchial and disciplinary boundaries, and doing mobile exhibition work as an avenue for making the project Hostile Terrain 94 public and democratic.

What happens when the state of being in a crisis becomes the norm? What can be learned from the cascade of crisis after crisis in Argentina in the late 20th and early 21st century?

We talk to Sarah Muir about her recently published book Routine Crisis, her personal experience of a journey in the discipline of anthropology, and about the role of anthropology in both the present day world and looking forward into the future.

Even though she doesn't consider herself an anthropologist, in this episode professor at The New School of Social Research in New York, Shannon Mattern, offers invaluable insights into the role of ethnography and the many ways to complement ethnographic work. She also inspires us to engage with our increasingly mediated existence in new and creative ways, exploring the possibilities of digital ethnography. Furthermore, she talks about the inspiration for her new, longer term project about arboreal agents - taking the methods and thinking from digital media and smart cities to the roots.

How do we shift research fields, engage in a more creative writing, and dare to be adequate?

Associate Professor of Anthropology at University of Amsterdam, Tina Harris, ponders upon these and many more reflections for us. She brings us upon the road of her career with all it entails of shifts, ethics and methodologies, navigating in a competetive academic environment, and trying to stimulate a supportive peer-culture in the work space.

How do we attend to difference, collaborates across distances, and disseminate not only to colleagues but to a broader public?

Professor of Anthropology of the Body at University of Amsterdam, Annemarie Mol answers these and many more questions for us.  She tells her journey through different disciplines and scholarly traditions and she presents her vision for anthropology in the future.

In this last episode, I take a stroll with Pierre Du Plessis, whose a Post doc with Aarhus University and co-hosted by the University of Cape Town. Before he continues his carrier at Oslo University, we get a chance to hear about his research and his perspectives on Danish sociality and how we might pay attention to our traces in the world of a life entangled with non-human beings.

Nanna is an assistant professor at the Department of Anthropology, AU. With a healthy portion of humor, I followed the local around her neighbourhood in Hjorthøj. We talked about Nanna's way into anthropology, how she fell in love with it and her current research projects on loneliness and gender futures. Nanna also talks to us about her studies of social change and how we as anthropologists might benefit from a bit of silliness.

Anne Line Dalsgård, or just Line, is an associate professor at the Department of Anthropology, AU. Besides being an amazing anthropologist, she is also a trained actor. As Line and I circled around the lake at the Aarhus University park, we talked about her background in acting, her relationship to friends in Brazil and how anthropologists might use their body and emotions as well as their intellect in their writing. She also gives us a little piece of advice on how to stay grounded.

Cameron is an associate professor at the Department of Anthropology, AU. He is incidentally also a cherished member of the COMMUNITAS board. In this episode, Cameron and I walk through Marselisborg Park and talk about Cameron's professional carrier, his view on Danes as well as his recent work on the Buddhist concept of impermanence. He also leaves us with a bit of advice for what to take from the current crises around the corona pandemic.