Resource wars and Public Anthropology

Extraction of subterranean wealth is a hot issue in the Netherlands, and elsewhere. How do we anthropologists contribute to the field of research and the public debate on mineral and gas extraction?

Sabine Luning • August 19, 2015 • 3 comments

My Airbnb home is my market

Is Airbnb a wonderful economic alternative based on sharing and morality? Or is it simply an illustration of our labour market being so problematic that people get more creative to make ends meet? A former Airbnb member tells her side of the story.

Nikkie Buskermolen • June 16, 2015 • 1 comment

From Beyoncé to Markets – Anthropologists Studying Elites

What does it entail to study elites: How do we anthropologists approach the rich and powerful? In this conversation Erik Bähre and Zane Kripe share some experiences and ideas.

Erik Bähre and Zane Kripe • May 27, 2015 • 1 comment

All of one place: A Muslim saint, a converted Hindu princess, and a Hindu deity

Ethnic and religious antagonisms are not givens, but the outcome of historical and political processes. Borders, as human-made conveyors of state-oriented conceptual frameworks, play a central role in shaping these.

Erik de Maaker • May 06, 2015 • 1 comment

When dreams shape our day

Dreams appear only to the individual, but seem to come from a source outside our social selves. Do we allow them to shape our days? Comparing Dutch and Kyrgyz social contexts, we understand how profoundly cultural these processes are.

Nienke van der Heide • April 15, 2015 • 2 comments

Confrontational Self-Organization: Some Reflections from Oakland and San Francisco

From Occupy to Black Lives Matter, the Californian cities of Oakland and San Francisco are on the frontlines of some of today's most important political struggles. In these cities systemic inequality and racism is palpable in every aspect of urban life.

Marianne Maeckelbergh • April 01, 2015

The mindless knowledge economy

We often assume that a technologically advanced economy is all about a highly skilled labour force engaging in creative forms of self-expression. However, the dream of getting rid of dull and boring jobs through automation seems to be a utopia.

Zane Kripe • March 11, 2015 • 2 comments

My home is my (Airbnb) castle?

In Amsterdam there are over 10,500 Airbnb addresses. ‘The easiest way for people to monetise their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.’ Why does this ‘monetise your extra space’ resonate so well? And what about the neighbours?

Nikkie Buskermolen • February 26, 2015 • 6 comments

One of us: Tarik Z. and Conspiracy Culture

Should we view Tarik Z., who tried to hold the Dutch national television news hostage, as a would-be terrorist? To me, he represents something more humdrum, ordinary, and closer to home: latter-day conspiracy thinking.

Peter Pels • February 10, 2015

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