Self-isolation as a Choice: The Sentinelese and the Missionary

In November, the killing of a missionary on North-Sentinel attracted a lot of media attention. The fact that John Chau tried to set foot on an officially closed area generated some blunt reactions. But what does the future of isolated tribes look like?

Gerard Persoon • December 14, 2018

Community in Economic "Kriza": Broken Promises and Precarity in a Small Croatian Farming Community

Over two decades have passed since Croatia embarked upon a transition towards a market economy. Even though it is the EU’s most recent member, rural regions continue to struggle with economic precarity.

Robin Smith • November 28, 2018

The Price of Safety: Understanding Anti-Seawall Sentiment in Post-Tsunami Japan

In the aftermath of Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami, local governments have sought to mitigate future risk through the construction of seawalls. The people they are supposed to protect, however, have often resisted these efforts. Why?

Andrew Littlejohn • October 19, 2018

How to Be a Sustainable Anthropologist?

Anthropologists often see themselves as committed and active global citizens. But how much of what we teach and learn about sustainability is expressed in anthropologists' daily actions? And how can we be (or become) sustainable anthropologists?

Simone de Boer • September 25, 2018

Revisiting a ‘Lost’ Field

Sustaining a long-term relationship with one’s ethnographic field site is not easy. Revisiting Leiden after over a decade, I find that the communication revolution and globalisation have not necessarily made it simpler. Yet, there is meaning to the return.

Rajni Palriwala • June 21, 2018 • 1 comment

Mind the Gap: Mental Health and a Regulated Insurance Market in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands healthcare is organized by a regulated insurance market. This combination of state and market creates tensions that are explored in this short film, in which psychotherapists reflect on their difficult position in the system.

Nikkie Buskermolen • June 07, 2018

A Struggle for Care: Public Health and Private Insurance in Brasília

Access to healthcare takes us to the heart of Brazil’s polarized debate on social justice and inequality. This film explores some of the difficulties people face when they need medical attention and the dilemmas of financing healthcare.

Erik Bähre and Fabíola Gomes • May 23, 2018

Risky Business: Crop Insurance in Rural India

In central India, agriculture is a risky business. As climate change has altered weather patterns and monsoon rains are becoming increasingly unpredictable, a new crop insurance policy promises to use financial management to control the extremes of nature.

Tim van de Meerendonk • April 30, 2018 • 4 comments

The Price of Death: Life Insurance in Black New Orleans

Funeral directors probably know better than anyone that as long as we live, we are certainly going to die. Yet, for some, death may come at too high a price. How do people reckon financially with the biological fact of their mortality?

Nikki Mulder • April 17, 2018