This Anthro Life

This Anthro Life

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This Anthro Life episodes

  • The Power of Vulnerability Revisited
    This episode focuses on a conversation between Adam and Amy about a TEDtalk titled The Power of Vulnerability presented by Brené Brown. In this video, Brown breaks down the “wholehearted individual” one who has courage, social connection, compassion, and an appreciation for his/her vulnerabilities. They were unashamed to be vulnerable. They are comfortable with saying I love you first, putting an opinion piece out regardless of potential backlash, being authentic without fear. As Brown stresses, the wholehearted have ”the willingness to do something with no guarantees”.  It’s allowing for things to fall outside of your control. To accept the controllable and the chaotic aspects of lif

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    Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thisanthrolife/message

    About This Anthro Life:
    This Anthro Life is your podcast for thought leadership at the intersection of culture, work, and storytelling. We bring you interviews and insights for business leaders, design thinkers, researchers, and anyone curious about how culture shapes our lives.

    Explore more episodes and subscribe to our newsletter at thisanthrolife.org and join our Substack community at thisanthrolife.substack.com.
    56 min
  • The Power of Vulnerability Revisited

    This episode focuses on a conversation between Adam and Amy about a TEDtalk titled The Power of Vulnerability presented by Brené Brown. In this video, Brown breaks down the “wholehearted individual” one who has courage, social connection, compassion, and an appreciation for his/her vulnerabilities. They were unashamed to be vulnerable. They are comfortable with saying I love you first, putting an opinion piece out regardless of potential backlash, being authentic without fear. As Brown stresses, the wholehearted have ”the willingness to do something with no guarantees”.  It’s allowing for things to fall outside of your control. To accept the controllable and the chaotic aspects of life.
    Check Out These Links To Consider Wholehearted Authenticity
    Audiobook:The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connection, and Courage
    Michael Jackson
    “Anthropology and Existential Turn” by Michael Jackson and Albert Piette in What is Existential Anthropology
    Ricardo Godoy who posts rejection letters on his door at Brandeis University
    Not everyone is like this. Brown points out that many people numb themselves with things like alcohol, drugs, and food to avoid the emotions and thoughts that make them vulnerable. The issue behind numbing is that attempting to erase feelings of sadness, anger, disappointment, embarrassment, and grief also numbs feelings of happiness, love, and connection, which makes people feel more vulnerable and upset continuing in a cycle of misery.
    Brown outlines what is behind numbness: “making the uncertain certain”, only valuing the perfect, and pretending that what we do has no effect on others. These habits get in the way of leading a full happy where you feel worthy of love and that you belong. This episode of This Anthropological Life considers the multidimensionality of vulnerability and empathy including: context, biology, technology, and gender.
    Check Out the Links Below to Build a Better Understanding of Brown’s Concepts of Vulnerability and This Anthro Life’s Takes on Empathy
    Video: The Power of Empathy
    This Anthro Life Episode 4: Violence and Empathy
    56 min
  • FreeThink #4: On Art, Creativity, and Bringing Awe back to Anthropology
    As you may have noticed, TAL has been on a bit of a break from releasing new episodes. But, the good news is that we have not been idle. The other night when Ryan and Adam were out and about they got to talking about TAL and their perspectives on public anthropology. What does the future hold? What inspires change? Realizing they were on to something good, they pulled out a phone and hit record. This episode is what came out. We hope you’ll enjoy! This episode was recorded live and near a kitchen so please forgive the extra noise :). In this FreeThink Ryan and Adam get a little personal, shedding light on their own stories, views on art, religion, creative writing, literature, and what it is that drives the team to do anthropology.
    “Human Being is an art, and we gotta dig into that” – Adam

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    Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thisanthrolife/message

    About This Anthro Life:
    This Anthro Life is your podcast for thought leadership at the intersection of culture, work, and storytelling. We bring you interviews and insights for business leaders, design thinkers, researchers, and anyone curious about how culture shapes our lives.

    Explore more episodes and subscribe to our newsletter at thisanthrolife.org and join our Substack community at thisanthrolife.substack.com.
    39 min
  • FreeThink #4: On Art, Creativity, and Bringing Awe back to Anthropology
    As you may have noticed, TAL has been on a bit of a break from releasing new episodes. But, the good news is that we have not been idle. The other night when Ryan and Adam were out and about they got to talking about TAL and their perspectives on public anthropology. What does the future hold? What inspires change? Realizing they were on to something good, they pulled out a phone and hit record. This episode is what came out. We hope you’ll enjoy! This episode was recorded live and near a kitchen so please forgive the extra noise :). In this FreeThink Ryan and Adam get a little personal, shedding light on their own stories, views on art, religion, creative writing, literature, and what it is that drives the team to do anthropology.
    “Human Being is an art, and we gotta dig into that” – Adam
    In this episode grapple with the questions

    Can we bring beauty and the poetics of human nature back into anthropology?
    How do we take criticisms about anthropology and turn them into something positive?
    How do we be public while not bringing in jargon, but also infusing social science knowledge into our content while still keeping it accessible?
    Should we change our name?

    “Truth is always stranger than fiction” – Ryan
    If you wish to further unpack the subjects we discussed in this episode check out the following links!

    David Carrasco – Historian of Religion
    Michael Jackson – Existential Anthropology
    Middlemarch as the best ethnography ever! It gets into the heart of Victorian life. What do you think?
    Aztec by Gary Jennings
    “The Aztec World of Gary Jennings” by Michael E. Smith
    On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation
    “The Art of Looking: How to Live with Presence, Break the Tyranny of Productivity, and Learn to See Our Everyday Wonderland”  by Maria P...
    39 min
  • Investigating the Untethered Journey between Psychedelic Science, Medicine, and Drug Scheduling with Hamilton Morris
    Psychedelia is the culture and experiences of psychedelic substances. Where did all the research on psychedelic drugs go? Could psychedelics be used in psychotherapy? How are hallucinogenic drugs used cross-culturally? In this episode of This Anthro Life Adam and Ryan explore the world of psychedelic drugs with Hamilton Morris of Vice’s Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia. We discuss his fieldwork in the Amazon where he hunted for a locally important frog, the potential diagnostic, medicinal, and therapeutic uses of psychedelics, as well as the obstacles in the way of studying human consciousness. Special thanks to Alice Kelikian.

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    Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thisanthrolife/message

    About This Anthro Life:
    This Anthro Life is your podcast for thought leadership at the intersection of culture, work, and storytelling. We bring you interviews and insights for business leaders, design thinkers, researchers, and anyone curious about how culture shapes our lives.

    Explore more episodes and subscribe to our newsletter at thisanthrolife.org and join our Substack community at thisanthrolife.substack.com.
    36 min
  • Investigating the Untethered Journey between Psychedelic Science, Medicine, and Drug Scheduling with Hamilton Morris

    Psychedelia is the culture and experiences of psychedelic substances. Where did all the research on psychedelic drugs go? Could psychedelics be used in psychotherapy? How are hallucinogenic drugs used cross-culturally? In this episode of This Anthro Life Adam and Ryan explore the world of psychedelic drugs with Hamilton Morris of Vice’s Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia. We discuss his fieldwork in the Amazon where he hunted for a locally important frog, the potential diagnostic, medicinal, and therapeutic uses of psychedelics, as well as the obstacles in the way of studying human consciousness. Special thanks to Alice Kelikian and the Brandeis Program in Film, Television and Interactive Media for sponsoring the interview!



    Who is Hamilton Morris?
    Hamilton Morris is a journalist for Vice, scientist, and an anthropologist who seeks to understand hallucinogenic drugs and human consciousness through a scientific and cultural perspective.  He has traveled all around the world studying psychoactive drugs by participating in rituals and consuming the drugs his informants are using. He documents his experiences on Vice’s Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia.  Morris’ adventures are reminiscent of anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wade Davis’ own studies, but you will have to listen in to see for yourself!
    When asked what drew Morris into his field he responded
    “I like good stories. That’s a big part of it. I think that there’s a lot of great stories in this area. Some of the best stories I have ever heard, a lot of weird stories, a lot of people that dedicate their lives in a really serious way to these substances. They have a passion a religious almost passion for these things and that belief, I think, is really compelling from a storytelling perspective.”
    To Learn More About Morris and his Projects Check Out The Links Below!
    Hamilton Morris Twitter
    Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia
    A Psychonaut’s Adventures in Videoland
    Hamilton Gets High For A Living and Invites Yo...
    36 min
  • Waiting w/ Serra Hakyemez
    with Aneil and Ryan 

    Special Guest: Serra Hakyemez
    Is waiting political? Can you cut in line at Starbucks during your hectic morning commute?  In this episode of TAL we team up with Serra Hakyemez, a Junior Research Fellow from the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University to discuss her paper entitled, “Waiting, Acting Political, Hope, Doubt, and Endurance in the Anti-Terrorism Courts of Northern Kurdistan”, which focuses on the ways political detainees’ families are actively shaping and constructing community identities while waiting in the courthouse (Brandeis Anthropology Research Seminar). 

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    Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thisanthrolife/message

    About This Anthro Life:
    This Anthro Life is your podcast for thought leadership at the intersection of culture, work, and storytelling. We bring you interviews and insights for business leaders, design thinkers, researchers, and anyone curious about how culture shapes our lives.

    Explore more episodes and subscribe to our newsletter at thisanthrolife.org and join our Substack community at thisanthrolife.substack.com.
    33 min
  • Waiting w/ Serra Hakyemez
    with Aneil and Ryan 

    Special Guest: Serra Hakyemez
    Is waiting political? Can you cut in line at Starbucks during your hectic morning commute?  In this episode of TAL we team up with Serra Hakyemez, a Junior Research Fellow from the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University to discuss her paper entitled, “Waiting, Acting Political, Hope, Doubt, and Endurance in the Anti-Terrorism Courts of Northern Kurdistan”, which focuses on the ways political detainees’ families are actively shaping and constructing community identities while waiting in the courthouse (Brandeis Anthropology Research Seminar). We also discuss the pedagogical effect the process of waiting has on the families and the role of repetition.  Whether you are waiting in line or waiting for our newest TAL episode to download take some time to scroll through our notes!

    Why Waiting?
    Serra spent time waiting to talk to lawyers, for the trials, and to talk with families. She noticed that waiting seemed to be a large part of the judicial process. She found that even the courthouse is designed for people to wait in it (i.e. long hallway with a long line of chairs).
    Outside of the courtroom there is a hallway where families are expected to wait for long periods of time (often decades!) for the trial of their family members. Inside the courtroom there are no chairs and it is designed to make those within it uncomfortable. The trials themselves are often over in 15-30 minutes.
    Is Waiting Static? A frame of inaction?
    Short answer is no. Waiting for the trial forces the families to schedule their domestic. work, and political lives around the time they will be waiting. Families and lawyers spend their time actively seeking out judges, lawyers, and other families. They are constructing a community through which they can protest against the state and find hope.
    The actual process of waiting is a spectacle or a ritual of the state. It is a way for the state to inscribe its power on the people.The families are building these communities within the courtroom to work against the state and state violence.
    Check out this link to learn more about ethnography and waiting
    Becoming While Waiting
    Action is part of the endurance of waiting as it makes waiting bearable. The feeling that you cannot act results in either feelings of impotence or cynicism. Serra found that the families felt neither of these.
    Instead of being inactive, the families were discussing the news and how it might affect their situation. They organized protests against the judges and the court system. The families were becoming political while waiting.
    The families are exploring the dynamic between the PKK and the state. They are acknowledging the presence of this external force on their daily lives and are becoming actors within this process by becoming a protester or a “terrorist”.
    There is also a pedagogical aspect to waiting in the courtroom with many children of political detainee families wanting to become lawyers. By observing the trials for most of their lives, the families often end up knowing the laws better than some of the lawyers.
    Check out the links below to learn more about the PKK.
    32 min
  • D+A #2: What Makes a Protest Successful and How do I get involved?
    Today’s D+A minisode follows last week’s powerful conversation with Jara Connell on protests and people-powered forms of resistance. In this minisode Jara offers us a nugget of wisdom to be cautious about thinking all protests are the same or that we can even evaluate them with the same criteria.
    TAL D+A Minisodes are short, actionable steps you can take in your everyday life to become more socially savvy, culturally competent and holistic in your actions. If you have any suggestions for D+A minisodes or longer Conversations, drop us a line! We’re always looking for new ideas.


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thisanthrolife/message

    About This Anthro Life:
    This Anthro Life is your podcast for thought leadership at the intersection of culture, work, and storytelling. We bring you interviews and insights for business leaders, design thinkers, researchers, and anyone curious about how culture shapes our lives.

    Explore more episodes and subscribe to our newsletter at thisanthrolife.org and join our Substack community at thisanthrolife.substack.com.
    5 min
  • D+A #2: What Makes a Protest Successful and How do I get involved?
    Today’s D+A minisode follows last week’s powerful conversation with Jara Connell on protests and people-powered forms of resistance. In this minisode Jara offers us a nugget of wisdom to be cautious about thinking all protests are the same or that we can even evaluate them with the same criteria.
    TAL D+A Minisodes are short, actionable steps you can take in your everyday life to become more socially savvy, culturally competent and holistic in your actions. If you have any suggestions for D+A minisodes or longer Conversations, drop us a line! We’re always looking for new ideas.

    5 min

About This Anthro Life

From the publisher's feed

Unearth the creative potential of humanity with This Anthro Life, a podcast exploring culture, design, business, and technology. Spearheaded by acclaimed Anthropologist Dr. Adam Gamwell, This Anthro…

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