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Do you have a knack for humor and a command of the challenges facing anthropology and anthropologists? AN cordially invites you to submit a question, problem, or curiosity to the ANTHROVICE BEST QUESTION COMPETITION!
AnthroVice is AN’s satirical advice column that endeavors to foster dialogue around issues that affect anthropologists and the discipline. The AN editorial team will select a wining question based on relevance to current concerns in the discipline and compatibility with AnthroVice’s irreverent yet serious tone. The winner will receive a $25 gift card for the bookstore of their choice and their submission will feature anonymously in the AnthroVice column in print and online. Other submissions will also be considered for publication in the column.
The following are examples of recent AnthroVice submissions:
- Can anyone provide any explanation or references on the widespread practice of mother-in-law avoidance in tribal societies?
- I am an early tenure-track professor with a needy grad student advisee. I appreciated my PhD advisor’s practice of briefly checking in with my mental and physical health before getting down to business, so I started out the same. But this student has a complicated set of problems, and thinks I can help solve them. They are also just a sour, grumpy person. Asking, “How are you?” leads to a litany of complaints. I get it’s hard being a grad student, but there’s nothing I can do about health insurance screw ups, roommate fights, or car-repair bills. How can I redraw the line, and stop being a sympathetic ear to this student’s many woes?
- Dear AnthroVice: I recently had a conversation with a PhD student (who is in an anthropology department) who, to my surprise, suggested that he had some strong feelings of support for the Trump agenda, even now. After my head exploded and I stopped throwing things, I got to thinking there might be a better way to handle this. Any suggestions?
Send your submission as a question, problem, or concern of up to 100 words to AN@americananthro.org by March 9, subject line: AnthroVice.