Please see below for details on two upcoming activities of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Center for Heritage and Society Why Does the Past Matter? Changing Visions, Media, and Rationales in the 21st Century: May 4-7, 2011 This conference includes almost 200 speakers from 34 countries. The goal of this conference is to bring together [...]
• Japan has to deal with “nuclear allergy” Contaminated water, spinach, people and perhaps more. Peter Wynn Kirby writes about concepts of pollution, contamination, and stigma in Japan. He is a researcher with the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Oxford and a research fellow at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social [...]
Diego Garcia (Chagos Archipelago) British Indian Ocean Territory. Credit: Flickr/Drew Avery. Guest post by Sean Carey A recent BBC Radio 4 broadcast, a programme on coral reefs, included misleading information about the Chagos Archipelago, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The gist is that the amazing health of the reefs in the [...]
This just in from Sean Carey, cultural anthropologist at Roehampton University: Big and growing excitement in the UK about the Royal Wedding next month. This article on what the Palace is telling guests about etiquette and protocol includes advice about trying not to kiss the Queen! And this from the BBC about how to address [...]
• What is the meaning of safe? Barbara Rose Johnston, cultural anthropologist at UC Santa Cruz, asks what is “safe” in today’s nuclear world? • The lessons of Fukushima Hugh Gusterson, cultural anthropologist at George Mason University, discusses the lessons of Fukushima for nuclear energy policy. • Staying calm when the unthinkable happens Theories abound [...]
Barbara Rose Johnston, an environmental anthropologist at the Center for Political Ecology at the University of California in Santa Cruz, prompts us to consider what we mean by “safe” when it comes to radiation and the nuclear industry. She says: As the world’s nations reassess nuclear power operations and refine energy development plans, now — [...]
Guest post by Sean Carey Think of a South African herb, and the chances are that Hoodia gordonii will come to mind. The much-publicized succulent, which has been traditionally used by the San to ward off hunger and thirst on hunting trips, was the focus of 15 years of research and development by UK-based company, [...]
Guest post by Mayumi Sakamoto As of March 18, the situation is very serious in Fukushima prefecture due to the nuclear power plant problem. The complex after-effects of the tsunami are disturbing the entire S&R (search and rescue) efforts and related disaster response activities, as well as creating problems for economic activity, agriculture, the environment [...]
The three-way hit from the major earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown has created a situation beyond what even the most prepared country could manage. Entire villages were swept into the massive wave. Hundreds of bodies are now washing back to the shore. Nuclear plants are melting down. People are evacauting their home areas by the [...]
Guest post by Erik Gilbert What the Taj Mahal is to India, the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, and the Brandenburg Gate is to Berlin, the dhow is to the Indian Ocean. The dhow is the iconic image that photographers, film makers, and writers use to evoke a sense of the Indian Ocean as a [...]
