American Anthropologist’s “Particular Problem” with Biological Anthropology

We in the Biological Anthropology Section have nearly constant discussions about increasing our numbers and integrating our impact within AAA. We act as ambassadors for AAA and the American Anthropologist... 

Inequality and US Immigration Reform

When “Giovanni,” a commercial truck driver in his forties, was granted legal permanent US residency in 2010, he thought that his troubles with immigration were over. Giovanni had lived in the US without... 

Teaching Inequality

Every year a new crop of fresh-faced students enters my classroom. Some stroll in, some saunter, a few rush in headlong. Nearly all are eager to learn about the advertized topic of the course: culture... 

Trash as a Means to Survive

Scavenging among Homeless Men in Tokyo, Japan Since the end of World War II, Japanese society has considered itself a classless society and one where family members care for elders. The presence of older... 

Sustaining What?

Inequalities and Environmental Conservation in Mexican Protected Areas “The fishermen can just learn to do something else.” Sitting at the table discussing the issues facing the marine protected area,... 

Unity without Uniformity

At a rally against fascism in Moscow last autumn, a small crowd gathered within a square barricaded from the public by metal detectors and a contingent of police. Anarchist black, socialist red, and rainbow... 

Diasporas of and by Design

Historicizing the Growing Impoverishment of Native American Artisans In the Creative Economy Report (2008), published by the UN Conference on Trade and Development, arts and crafts were framed as an essential... 

Debt and the Monetary Foundations of Inequality

One of the many insights contained in David Graeber’s masterful work, Debt: The First 5000 Years (2011) is that once a society has institutionalized the debtor-creditor relationship, it has destroyed...