The goal of this site is to explore contemporary anthropology through essays, short articles, and opinion pieces written from diverse perspectives. There is no single way to define the field, hence "anthropologies." By presenting various viewpoints and positions, this site seeks to highlight not only what anthropology means to those who practice it, but also how those meanings are relevant to wider audiences.
Ryan Anderson: A graduate student in anthropology at the University of Kentucky (focusing on economic and environmental anthropology). He is currently writing up his dissertation about the politics of development in Baja California Sur. Ryan started off studying photography, then gravitated to archaeology, and finally ended up in cultural anthropology after being indoctrinated by the undergrad program at UC Santa Cruz (in a good way). He has, however, never completely forgotten about his photographic and archaeological roots. His ultimate goal is to find a way to combine his interests in all three into some way of actually generating regular income. He started this site during Spring Break of 2011 to explore some different avenues for publishing and presenting anthropology, and because he wasn't already busy enough in grad school.
Sarah Williams: A recent graduate in anthropology from Texas State University, Sarah currently resides in Austin, TX and works as a voluntary agency liaison for the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Her research interests include biomedical and holistic conflicts in female reproductive care, the effects of globalization and tourism on the Yucatec Maya, and the re-localization of food in urban areas. While she enjoys working in disaster recovery, she is very much looking forward to returning to a life of applied anthropology and study when she attends graduate school this fall.
Veronica Miranda: A graduate student in medical anthropology at the University of Kentucky. Her research explores the politics of reproduction in rural Quintana Roo, Mexico, by focusing on how pregnancy and childbirth practices are produced through interactions of care, exchange of knowledge/information, and contestation between Yucatec Maya women, midwives and state health care providers.
Megan Maurer: A third-year Ph.D. student in cultural anthropology at the University of Kentucky. Prior to embarking on a graduate career, Megan conducted research on farmers' market patrons and locally-based diets in rural Ohio, and worked with community and school gardens in Southeast Michigan. Her current research focuses on urban farming and gardening in Southeast Michigan, where she looks at how individuals' histories and identities shape their gardening practices, and how these differences/commonalities impact the use of urban agriculture as a tool of socioeconomic re-development in the region. Megan's overall interests are in North American anthropology, agriculture, food security/justice, urban anthropology, and political economy/ecology.
Britteny M. Howell: A graduate student in biocultural anthropology at the University of Kentucky and former bioarchaeologist, Britteny currently researchers the intersection of rural health, nutrition, and the environment from a biological perspective in context of sociocultural change. She conducts research in two seemingly disparate locations, Appalachian Kentucky and Southwestern Alaska, but would argue they have much more in common than you would think. Researching how people negotiate their food enviornment with constrained resources can elicit the structural and social barriers to good nutrition and how people think about food. My overall research interests include dietary intake, poverty, indigeneity, and access to healthcare.
Amanda Ellwanger: A Ph.D. student in ecological anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her M.A. research examined ecological overlap between people and the Guizhou snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi) as well as peoples' attitudes and knowledge of the monkey and conservation in Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, China. Her dissertation research will explore ecological, biological, and cultural consequences of commensalism between humans and chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in Western Cape, South Africa.
Lydia Roll: A doctoral student in cultural anthropology at the University of Kentucky. She is interested in historically situated research and political anthropology. Her research explores concepts of nationalism, the state, citizenship, and identity, as well as migration (both within and across state borders) in Turkey, where she focuses on the experiences of the Kurdish minority population.
Editorial Team
Ryan Anderson: A graduate student in anthropology at the University of Kentucky (focusing on economic and environmental anthropology). He is currently writing up his dissertation about the politics of development in Baja California Sur. Ryan started off studying photography, then gravitated to archaeology, and finally ended up in cultural anthropology after being indoctrinated by the undergrad program at UC Santa Cruz (in a good way). He has, however, never completely forgotten about his photographic and archaeological roots. His ultimate goal is to find a way to combine his interests in all three into some way of actually generating regular income. He started this site during Spring Break of 2011 to explore some different avenues for publishing and presenting anthropology, and because he wasn't already busy enough in grad school.
Veronica Miranda: A graduate student in medical anthropology at the University of Kentucky. Her research explores the politics of reproduction in rural Quintana Roo, Mexico, by focusing on how pregnancy and childbirth practices are produced through interactions of care, exchange of knowledge/information, and contestation between Yucatec Maya women, midwives and state health care providers.
Megan Maurer: A third-year Ph.D. student in cultural anthropology at the University of Kentucky. Prior to embarking on a graduate career, Megan conducted research on farmers' market patrons and locally-based diets in rural Ohio, and worked with community and school gardens in Southeast Michigan. Her current research focuses on urban farming and gardening in Southeast Michigan, where she looks at how individuals' histories and identities shape their gardening practices, and how these differences/commonalities impact the use of urban agriculture as a tool of socioeconomic re-development in the region. Megan's overall interests are in North American anthropology, agriculture, food security/justice, urban anthropology, and political economy/ecology.
Britteny M. Howell: A graduate student in biocultural anthropology at the University of Kentucky and former bioarchaeologist, Britteny currently researchers the intersection of rural health, nutrition, and the environment from a biological perspective in context of sociocultural change. She conducts research in two seemingly disparate locations, Appalachian Kentucky and Southwestern Alaska, but would argue they have much more in common than you would think. Researching how people negotiate their food enviornment with constrained resources can elicit the structural and social barriers to good nutrition and how people think about food. My overall research interests include dietary intake, poverty, indigeneity, and access to healthcare.
Amanda Ellwanger: A Ph.D. student in ecological anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her M.A. research examined ecological overlap between people and the Guizhou snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi) as well as peoples' attitudes and knowledge of the monkey and conservation in Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, China. Her dissertation research will explore ecological, biological, and cultural consequences of commensalism between humans and chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in Western Cape, South Africa.
Lydia Roll: A doctoral student in cultural anthropology at the University of Kentucky. She is interested in historically situated research and political anthropology. Her research explores concepts of nationalism, the state, citizenship, and identity, as well as migration (both within and across state borders) in Turkey, where she focuses on the experiences of the Kurdish minority population.
Upcoming themes:
May 2013: (Issue 18): Anthropology & Race
Future themes:
Anthropology & War
Health, food, and culture
The Politics of global warming
Interested in taking part in a future issue? Got some ideas or suggestions? Send us an email:
anthropologiesproject [at] gmail DOT com
