Diary for 12th November to 18th November 2009

THURSDAY 12th November - Mouthwatering Christmas Surprise

In anticipation of Christmas the Southbank Centre in London will hold a Christmas Chocolate Festival. The festival will run from 11-8pm daily from the 11th December to 13th December 2009. There will be stalls all celebrating different aspects of chocolate, from eating and drinking chocolate, to artistic creations, and the history of production. The festival will include a range of demonstrations, and workshops where participants get a chance to make chocolate truffles and watch master British chocolatiers such as William Curley, Damian Allsop and Paul Wayne Gregory perform their culinary magic. There have been many anthropologists who have written fantastic books about the history of Chocolate production and the cultural significance of this global commodity. The Centre for Anthropology at the British Museum, has a collection of anthropological books on chocolate.


FRIDAY 13th November - Envisioning a Common Ground

The Aurora Film Festival Weekend takes place in Norwich running from today until the 15th of November. The festival weekend aims to create a 'temporary community' of artists, filmmakers, curators and activists. The theme for this year's festival is 'Common Ground', a theme which explores the interconnections between ecology and social history, myth, anthropology and direct action. Highlights of the Festival Weekend include programmes of work by artists and film makers Jem Cohen (New York) , Milena Gierke (Berlin), as well as rarely seen films, live music and performance. Click here to find out more about the festival programme and price listings.



SATURDAY 14th November- Wartime Evacuees

The University of Reading's Museum of Rural Life (MERL) currently has an exhibition on call 'The children's war: evacuees in the countryside 1939-45'. In September 1939, 1.5million children were evacuated from major cities in Britain and moved to the rural countryside in order to be protected from any future air attacks. They were presented with a new way of life where they had to become acculturate to living and working on farms, helping out in the community, and going to the local school. This exhibition looks at the legacy of this children and their impact on the countryside, 'how much the rural life affected their own lives, both at the time and in the future'. The exhibition was curated by Dr. Martin Parsons, Director of The Research Centre for Evacuee and War Child Studies (ResCEW). The exhibition runs until the 22nd December. Admission is free.



SUNDAY 15th November- At home in Georgia

I've recently stumbled upon a fantastic little restaurant in Hackney called 'Little Georgia Cafe' (87 Goldsmiths Row), London. If you want to try authentic, inexpensive home-style Georgian cooking this is the place to go. They have wonderful pelmeni (little dumplings) and kababi (pastry wraps). If you go, try their famous cheese bread! Approximately £10 per person, byob accepted.





MONDAY 16th November- Mounted but not stuffed

Starting on the 19th November running until the 5th December is an exhibition at the Rebecca Hossack Gallery, looking at David Farrer's work called 'Africa Revisited'. David Farrer might best be described as a papermache zoologist. His expertise is making lifelike sculptures out of papermache of animals from all over the world. Over the years as an artist he travelled extensively in South Africa, and was amazed at the contradictions on the one hand, with the country's wildlife protection policies and on the other with the profitable business of animal trophy gathering. He decided to 'bridge the gap' by producing a 'recycled trophy' that would 'satisfy the urge to hang an animal head on the wall but provoke pro-ecological thought'. His animals are made primarily from old magazines, and 'recycled extras' such as horse hair, etc.. for added realism. Take a look here for a full listing of his animal art.




TUESDAY 17th November- Soundscapes

Today I am heading to the SOAS Music Department for their public seminar series held in Room G3 from 17:15-19:00pm. Today's speaker is Dr. Peter Cusak(Senior Lecturer, Sound Arts & Design, London College of Communication). Dr. Cusak is a 'sound artist, musician and environmental recordist with a special interest in environmental sound and acoustic ecology'. He's worked on projects such as 'Your favourite London Sounds' which aimed to discover the sounds that Londoners found positive about their city's landscape, as well as projects which documented the way in which sounds contribute to peoples' sense of place all over the world. His current project is called 'Sounds from dangerous places' and examines the soundscapes of sites of major environmental damage, such as Chernobyl, the Azerbaijan oil field and controversial dams on the Tigris and Euphrates river systems. The seminar is open to all.






WEDNESDAY 18th November- Let them Eat Junk

On 24th November, Dr. Robert Albritton will be speaking at SOAS Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre about his new book Let Them Eat Junk: How capitalism creates hunger and obesity. Dr. Albritton is an Emeritus Professor from York University, who has written extensively on political economic structures. Let them Eat Junk, looks at how the flow of capital, and the economics of our industrial food system has produced a world where obesity and starvation can coexist within and across populations. The talk will start at 6:30pm. Open admission, for more information about the event contact Alex Colas: A.Colas@bbk.ac.uk

Diary for 5th November to 11th November 2009

LUCY IS BACK! thank you everyone for being so patient and I hope you enjoy this week's activities!

THURSDAY 5th November- Redefining Dyslexia

Today marks the fourth day of the DysFest, a free film festival about Dyslexia held at UCL. Thursday's evening programme focuses on hands on learning activities illustrating a task oriented approach to integrating technology with study skills and variety of learning styles. There will be demonstrations carried out by a panel of educators on time management, note taking in lectures, digital active reading and note making and essay writing. There will also be more than 10 apple mac computers for people to try out and freebies given out on the day. To reserve your place visit the dysfest website.



FRIDAY 6th November- Calligraphic Abstraction

Today I am heading to the Green Cardamom art gallery to take a look at the exhibition exploring the work of the late Pakistani artist Anwar Jalal Shemza (1929-1985). Shemza was a modernist who used a variety of artistic mediums: such as novel writing and graphic design to express life experiences, such as belonging to a diaspora community in England during 1950s-1980s. The exhibition traces the artist's development specifically looking at Shemza's work which incorporates Arabic calligraphy and oriental carpet designs. This is the first of a series of exhibitions which the Green Cardamom will present over the next two years exploring Shemza's work. Each exhibition will be curated by a group of art historians, curators and artists. Calligraphic Abstraction has been curated by Cornell based art historian and artist Iftikhar Dadi.


SATURDAY 7th November- Turkish Film Festival

The 15th London Turkish Film Festival is in full swing. Running until the 19th of November, the festival features a programme of short documentaries, directorial debuts, UK premiers as well as panels and discussions. The festival aims to provide a platform in the UK for aspiring film makers of Turkish origin who live and work in Western Europe. One of the festival partners is Balik Arts, a charity who works with Turkish Kurdish and Turkish Cypriot communities in London to advance arts education amongst young people. Click here, to find out more about festival screenings, venues and ticket prices.





SUNDAY 8th November- Social Science for Schools

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), have just launched a new website called Social Science for schools. The aim of the website is to provide teachers with accessible information bringing together ESRC funded research on issues such as migration, citizenship, youth crime and other topics, so that they have reliable quantitative and qualitative data to use in their classrooms. This is an excellent resource for any social science teacher!



MONDAY 9th November- Cultures of Fear

'Freedom from fear is a universal right and fundamental for human well-being'. But what does freedom from fear really mean? and who is responsible for providing communities with a sense of security? Dr. Uli Linke, Professor of Anthropoogy at the Rochester Institute of Technology, has edited a new book with her colleague Danielle Taana Smith, called Cultures of Fear. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach, examining the ways in which organisations such as governments and humanitarian agencies use 'cultures of fear' to control, monitor, and contain human beings in zones of violence. Noam Chomsky, Slavoj Zizek, and other world class scholars have contributed to this book which take a critical approach at what is seen as the production and normalisation of fear in the context of war and terrorism. The book will be released on November 16th 2009.




TUESDAY 10th November- Sing about Anthropology!

Imagine you were going to be a contestant on a social sciences musical talent show and you had to create a song about Anthropology. What lyrics would you choose to represent such as diverse discipline? What about the genre? Is anthropology more attune to a ballad? pop? or heavy metal acoustics?There are several songs about anthropology on YouTube, but one which has recently acquired some fame inside anthropology circles, has been produced by a TA at the University of Toronto. The song is called: The Anthropology Song: A little bit anthropologist. Have a listen and become inspired!


WEDNESDAY 11th November - A not so natural disaster

Today I am going to reserve a place for a book launch held at the British Medical Association on Thursday 12th November from 5:30-7:30pm. The book edited by Xavier Crombe and Jean-Herre Jezequel is called Niger 2005-A not-So Natural Disaster, and examines various perspectives and interpretations of the causes and nature of the 2005 Niger famine crisis. One of the book's main focus is the work of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and their treatment of over 40,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition in Niger. Both editors will speak at the launch, in addition to Samuel Hauenstein-Swan (Huger Watch Adviser) and Stephanie Doyon (Nutrition Team Leader) for the MSF Access Campaign. To reserve your place email: odile.mendel@london.msf.org

Notification: Lucy's on research leave

Dear readers,
Lucy is away on research leave until the end of this month. The blog will be back in full force in the first week of November. Until then, Lucy encourages you to get out and about and experience anthropology in action!

Diary for 8th October to 14th October 2009

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Less than a month to go to submit your cartoons to the Royal Anthropological Institute's International Anthropology Cartoon Contest

We've received numerous requests to extend the deadline of the cartoon competition. The new deadline is November 10th 2009. The aims of the contest are to promote public engagement and exchange of ideas in anthropology as well as to add outstanding work to the published material for the RAI's upcoming website: Discover Anthropology (to be launched in November).



The cartoon is part of a series of new initiatives to be launched by the Education Outreach Programme. We hope these activities will provide opportunities for people with a passion for anthropology to share their work and take an active involvement in the discipline.

What we are looking for:

The contest is looking for cartoons that explore anthropological topics and ideas in a comical, original and engaging way. The aim is to get participants to 'think outside the box' and be creative in how they explore the subject. Participants will be judged based on the originality of their work and the integration of anthropological concepts, rather than solely on artistic merit. Entries from outside of Britain are welcome, but the cartoons must be in English.

Anthropological topics that could be explored:

There are endless possibilities of subjects that you could be creative with and here are a few suggestions: human evolution, fossil discoveries, forensics, cultural traditions, ceremonies and rituals, beauty and fashion, fieldwork, tourism and facebook.



Who can participate?

The competition is open to high school and sixth form students undergraduate and postgraduate anthropology students, and anyone who is interested in and passionate about Anthropology.

What do contestants win?

All short-listed and winning contestants will ave their work published on the RAI's Discover Anthropology website (upcoming) and some RAI publications.

1st Prize: An iPod shuffle, one year's free membership of the RAI, and a published interview with the RAI's Education Officer

2nd Prize: One year's free membership of the RAI

3rd Prize: An anthropology book and a visual anthropology student film




Examples of existing anthropological cartoons:













































How can I submit my work?

All applicants must fill in a registration form which can be found on the following website: www.therai.org.uk/education/education and send it with their cartoon submission.

• Each participant can submit a maximum of two cartoon
• The cartoon can be single panel or 2-4 panels (as you would see in the back of a newspaper such as the The London Paper, or The Guardian)
  
• Cartoons may be in black and white or colour and may be drawn using any technique.
• Cartoons can range from A5 size (5"X8") sheet of paper to maximum of A4 size (8''x11") Cartoons larger than an A4 size sheet of paper will be excluded from the competition.
• Submissions can be sent by post or email. If you send your cartoons by post please make the package out to: Nafisa Fera, Education Officer, Royal Anthropological Institute, 50 Fitzroy St. London W1T-5BT
• If you choose to send your submission electronically, please provide a high resolution JPEG of your cartoon. The JPEG will have to be less than 10 MB in order for us to receive it. Please email all submissions to the RAI's Education Officer, Nafisa Fera at education@therai.org.uk
  
• Any submissions which are unethical or disrespectful of anyone or any group of people will not be eligible. Any cartoons which have been plagiarised will also not be eligible.
  

For full details of the competition and an application form visit: www.therai.org.uk/education/education

Diary for 1st October to 7th October 2009

LUCY SPECIAL: ANTHROPOLOGY ON THE RADIO

A great way to engage with anthropology is by listening to debates, discussions and interviews with anthropologists on radio programmes. Take a break from reading, and listen to engaging conversations while you have your dinner or do the washing up! Most of the links provided below don't require you to have iplayer but you will have to have an up to date media player programme. The podcasts listed are from BBC radio programmes and NPR (National Public Radio) based in the United States. These are just a sample of the programmes you can find online.



Anthropologists who made history...

In 1923 Margaret Mead set off to Samoa to conduct research on adolescence. Mead became the first anthropologist to explore the realm of anthropology of childhood, and throughout her career she helped to popularise the discipline with her writings. Her work is included as mandatory texts in undergraduate degrees in North America and Europe. In this podcast, Professor Adam Cooper and June Goodfield reflect on Mead's career, the controversies surrounding the personal and professional life, and her impact on the discipline as a whole. If you'd like to know more about Mead's life and her research, the Library of Congress has an excellent online exhibition and an extensive archive collection on Mead.





After gaining a his first degree in Philosophy from Antioch College, Clifford Geertz went on to do his PhD in Anthropology at Harvard. Geertz did extensive research in Indonesia and then later in Morocco. Geertz was fascinated with the ways in which culture is expressed through ' a system of meanings embodied in symbols'. He became a founder of interpretive or symbolic anthropology, and his work was extremely influential within the discipline and beyond in other social sciences. In this podcast Byron Good, Professor of medical anthropology at Harvard Medical School, explains the contribution of Geertz's work to the discipline. For a wonderful summary of his life and work take a look a this obituary written in the New York Times.






Environmental Anthropology

In this podcast, Geoff Watts talks to anthropologist Professor Tim Ingold (University of Aberdeen) about his previous work living amongst reindeer herders in Lapland, and his current work collaborating with artists and designers to discover how to live sustainably. Professor Ingold has just launched a new project in Glasgow called Designing Environments for Life. The project involves anthropologists working with architects, artists, government, business and industry professionals to understand how people perceive and shape their environments, and to demonstrate the link between 'everyday environment' and the more general term 'environment' used when speaking about sustainable living and global ecological problems. If you are interested in environmental anthropology a number of universities in the UK offer it as a postgraduate degree. University of Kent has a particularly strong emphasis on environmental anthropology and ethnobotany.





Medical Anthropology

The International Organ Trafficking Market is a huge business that affects people around the world. In United States alone, 80 000 people are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. In this podcast, Lindy Washburn senior health writer at The Record, and anthropologist Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes (University of California, Berkley) talk about the exchange of money for human organs. Professor Hughes is Director of Organs Watch, a UC Berkley Documentation and Research Organisation. Currently Professor Hughes is helping authorities in Brazil, Israel and South Africa investigate what she calls a shocking new "slave triangle" in which the poor are being taken to distant cities by criminal syndicates and coerced into selling their organs for illegal transplants. Take a look at this news article for more information on her research.

Diary for Thursday 24th Septmber to 30th September 2009

Thursday 24th September- The Art of Polish Paper Cuts

There are only a few more days before the Wycinanki temporary exhibition leaves the Horniman Museum. The exhibition looks at the traditional Polish folk art of cutting paper. This art form is still popular and widely practiced in Kurpie and Lowicz. Artists use their skills in cutting, mounting and layering coloured paper to create intricate designs depicting various elements such as landscape, and culturally symbolic patterns. Admission is free.





Friday 25th September- Bicycle Frenzy

Today I am heading to the Barbican to see two films which are part of this year's Bicycle Film Festival. The festival runs until the 26th September and is a chance for all cycling enthusiasts to get together and enjoy films, talks, experimental performance and everything to do with bicycles. The films tonight include Where are you go: a film about the Tour D'Afrique, the longest bicycle race and expedition in the world; and a shorter film called Made in Queens, about a group of trinketers from Trinidad who create a portable dance party with bicycles. Tickets and showing times can be found here.


Saturday 26th September- Street Food- with love from Beirut

The other day I was wondering down one of the many tiny alleyways in Soho and came across this wonderful small restaurant called Yala Yala which literally translates in Arabic to 'come, come' or 'come on'. The restaurant serves excellent authentic Lebanese food and has an ambiance which inspires you to travel to Lebanon and explore more of the country's culinary delights. I recommend popping in for a bite when you are next in Soho!



Sunday 27th September- Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco

Those of you who are currently doing an undergraduate degree in anthropology degree may have come across Paul Rabinow's ethnography: Reflections on fieldwork in Morocco. Paul Rabinow is currently Professor of Anthropology at University of California (Berkley). His ethnography was published 30 years ago and yet still remains an accessible, interesting book which is pivotal to the discipline. The book cleverly explores the role of the anthropologists, and his informants and the process and relationships involved with undertaking fieldwork. To find out more about his work, take a look at this interview with Dr. Rabinow, filmed by Professor Alan MacFarlane at the University of Cambridge.





Monday 28th September- Cine Lumiere en Espanol

London's Spanish film festival is now in full swing at the Cine Lumiere. In association with the festival, tonight's film entitled 'Una Palabra Tuya' will be held at 7pm at the Shortwave cinema cafe. Directed by Angeles Gonzales Sinde, the film is the story of two friends who after experiencing a series of disappointments have come to suspect that happiness is something they may not deserve in this life. As their lives progress, their paths become entwined, and new directions lead to a hopeful future for one of them and cruel emptiness for the other. Tickets are £3 or £2 concession.

Tuesday 29th September- Riveting Research

For all of you who are near Brunel, or a student at the university there are some great research seminars taking place this autumn term. The series starts off on Thursday October 1st with anthropologist Nicolas Argenti (Brunel) talking about his research on folktales, fosterage and memories of slavery in the Cameroon Grassfields. The seminars are free and everyone regardless of previous background in anthropology are welcome. The seminar will take place from 1pm-2:30pm in Gaskell Building 239 at the Uxbridge campus.


Wednesday 30th September - Remembering Trinidad

In celebration of Black History Month, Lewisham Council has put together an excellent calendar or events, exhibitions, poetry readings aimed at honoring the culture, history and achievements of black and ethnic minorities in Britain. Tomorrow October 1st at the Lewisham Library, acclaimed writer Roger Robinson will be introducing and reading from his new book 'Suckle' an exploratory book about his childhood experiences in Trinidad and Tobago. The event is free and will take place from 8-9:30pm.

Diary for 17th September to 23rd September 2009

Lucy Special: The Royal Anthropological Institute's Annual General Meeting 2009




What is it?
The RAI's AGM meeting is an annual conference in which members and non-members of the RAI are able to meet award-winning anthropologists, find out about RAI activities, socialise with professors, students and fellow enthusiasts, and listen to the Curl lecture.

Who can attend?
The AGM meeting is open to anyone interested in anthropology and is free of charge.

Where is it taking place?
The RAI's AGM meeting will be held at the British Museum's Stevenson Lecture Theatre in the Clore Education Centre. For directions to the museum take a look here.

What time does it start?
The AGM meeting will start at 4:30pm. The agenda is as follows:
1. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of 25th September 2008
2. Annual Report of the Council for 2008
3. Appointment of Auditors
4. Election of Officers and Council for the year 2009-2010
5. Announcement of elections of the Huxley Memorial Lecturer and Henry Myers Lecturer for 2010
6. Presentation of the Rivers Memorial Medial for 2009
7.Presentation of the two Lucy Mair Medals fro 2009
8. AOB


At 5:30pm there will be the Curl lecture given by Dr. Joost Fontein entitled: Graves, Ruins & Belonging: Towards an anthropology of proximity

Dr. Joost Fontein has undertaken extensive research in Zimbabwe. His research interests include anthropology of landscape, nationalism and the post colonial state, water and land reform. He currently teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in anthropology and African Studies at the University of Edinburgh.




What is special about the event?
Every year the RAI presents two very important awards to anthropologists who have made a significant contribution within and beyond the discipline. Their life stories and efforts in the field are incredibly interesting and awe-inspiring for anyone interested in how anthropology can make a difference to the social sciences and the world at large.



The first award is called the Rivers Memorial Medal. The Medal is given to an anthropologist for a recent body of work published over a period of five years which makes, as a whole, a significant contribution to social, physical or cultural anthropology or archaeology.


The 2009 Rivers Memorial Medal will be presented to Professor Wendy James. Professor James is a Fellow of the British Academy and a Professor of Social Anthropology at Oxford. She has undertaken extensive research in Africa (mainly in the Sudan and Ethiopia), and has published numerous publications on fieldwork, folklore, cultural history and relations between minorities and majorities in post-colonial states. For more information and a list of recent publications take a look here.



The second award is the Lucy Mair Medal. This medal is intended to honour the application of anthropology to the relief of poverty and distress, and to the active recognition of human dignity.

This year there will be two anthropologists who will receive the 2009 Lucy Mair Medal: Professor Tom Selwyn and Dr. John Palmer.


Dr.Tom Selwyn is a Professor of Anthropology, specialising in tourism at the London Metropolitan University. Until recently he was the director of two European Commission TEMPUS projects helping to promote and support tourism and cultural industries in Bethlehem, Palestine and in Bosnia-Herzegovina- both through a consortia of European universities. Professor Selwyn was also a member of the coordinating group of the MED-VOICES project which brought together a network of academics and activists to explore tourism and heritage across the Mediterranean.



Dr.John Palmer is a social anthropologist resident in the Chaco, northern Argentina, where he assists the indigenous people Wichi, in their continuing campaign to regain their land-rights. His La voluntad Wichí was published in 2006. His work was recently presented by Simon Reeve in his BBC documentary Tropic of Capricorn. Dr. Palmer and Professor Jeremy MacClancy (Oxford Brookes) support the work of the Oxford-based international organisation Chacolinks, which help the Wichi in their struggle.

The descriptions here are just a glimpse into the fascinating lives of these award-winning anthropologists. The AGM meeting is a chance to meet them, as well as other professors, students, RAI staff and other enthusiasts of the discipline.


Hope to see you there!