{"title":"Front and Back Covers, Volume 40, Number 6. December 2024","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12809","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12809","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Front and back cover caption, volume 40 issue 6</p><p>BIRTH AS A GAMBLE</p><p>The front cover shows a Japanese gachapon vending machine, a device that dispenses capsule toys at random. In Japan, the term oya-gacha (parent-gacha) has emerged as a metaphor for the arbitrary circumstances of birth, appearing even in Japan's 2023 national university entrance exam. As Jiang demonstrates in this issue, anti-natalists have adopted this metaphor to critique procreation, comparing the odds of being born to advantaged parents to the slim chance of obtaining valuable items from these machines.</p><p>The human figures visible inside the capsules represent what anti-natalists describe as the uncontrollable variables of existence: social status, genetic inheritance and geographical location. Japanese anti-natalists have specifically chosen the gacha metaphor because it symbolizes a mechanism operating purely by chance, producing both fortune and disappointment.</p><p>This interpretation reflects broader secular shifts in how procreation is understood, moving away from religious frameworks of divine planning toward views emphasizing randomness and parental responsibility.</p><p>The machine's mechanical nature illustrates contemporary anxieties about technological control over reproduction, which Jiang explores through cases like IVF (in vitro fertilization) and antenatal screening. These developments have intensified ethical debates about procreation in an era of climate crisis and growing existential risks.</p><p>Back cover caption, volume 40 issue 6</p><p>DECOLONIZING CHAGOS?</p><p>A young Chagossian girl learns the technique of coconut grating from a community leader who also grew up in exile, embodying the intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge that has sustained the displaced Chagossian community. From the late 18th century onwards, coconut plantations dominated the Chagos Islands' economy, with each family processing hundreds of coconuts daily to produce copra (dried coconut kernel) and coconut oil. These skills, passed down through generations, formed the backbone of Chagossian society.</p><p>When British authorities forcibly removed the islanders between 1965 and 1973 to make way for a US military base on Diego Garcia, they disrupted not just lives and livelihoods but entire systems of cultural knowledge transmission.</p><p>The October 2024 agreement between the UK and Mauritius recognizes Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, yet ensures continued US military presence on Diego Garcia for at least 99 years. For many Chagossians, particularly those from Diego Garcia, this represents an incomplete victory that may still prevent a return to their natal islands. Nevertheless, through five decades of exile, Chagossian communities in Mauritius, Seychelles, the UK and elsewhere have maintained their distinctive cultural practices and traditions.</p><p>This image captures both loss and resilience: while the coconut plantations that","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"40 6","pages":"i-ii"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12809","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142764023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Food, culture and health: An anthropological perspective","authors":"Marco Capocasa, Davide Venier","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12927","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12927","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article explores the complex interplay among food, culture, and health. It examines how dietary habits have evolved, from hunter-gatherer societies to the globalization of Western diets, and their profound effects on cultural traditions and human health. While global markets reshape local diets, anthropological evidence suggests nutrition programmes work best when they build on cultural food knowledge rather than replace it. Our findings point to a pressing need for public health approaches that recognize food's role beyond mere sustenance – though implementing such culturally aware interventions remains challenging in practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"40 6","pages":"15-18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142763925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Chagos Archipelago: A limited victory for decolonization","authors":"Laura Jeffery","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12929","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12929","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 <p>The UK's October 2024 agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius marks a turning point in Indian Ocean decolonization, though Mauritius must delegate control of Diego Garcia back to the UK for 99 years to maintain the US military base. This article traces the forced displacement of Chagossians from 1968-1973 and their current responses as their future hangs in the balance. Despite promises of resettlement in parts of the archipelago, many Chagossians remain wary of their continued exclusion from decisions about their ancestral homeland. Their experiences reveal the human costs when military strategy outweighs indigenous rights.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"40 6","pages":"23-25"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12929","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142763927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New Humanism: A reply to Chris Hann 40(6)","authors":"Tim Ingold","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12931","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12931","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"40 6","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142764019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘Journey to the Future’: Temporal imaginaries in contemporary Dubai","authors":"Ross Cheung, Ian McGonigle","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12928","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12928","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 <p>This article introduces ‘temporalized sociotechnical imaginaries’ to analyse how the United Arab Emirates (UAE) deploys technology-focused visions across timeframes to construct national identity. We examine how Dubai's Museum of the Future and the UAE Vision Pavilion at Expo 2020 project futuristic technological narratives linked to the nation's centennial in 2071. Unlike traditional museums presenting history, these exhibitions offer carefully crafted visions of the future, serving as deliberate performances of state-led nation-building. These imaginaries reinforce national cohesion and legitimize current governance by integrating technological progress with national identity across past, present and future. This study contributes to our understanding of contemporary nationalism in rapidly developing states and the role of temporal imaginations of technology in nation-building.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"40 6","pages":"19-22"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12928","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142763926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New Humanism: A reply to Tim Ingold 40(5)","authors":"Chris Hann","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12930","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12930","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"40 6","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142763928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Secular procreation: Metaphysics of birth in the 21st century","authors":"Jack Jiang","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12924","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12924","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article examines how modern anti-natalist movements have emerged in Japan, India, China and the United States. Drawing on interviews, online discussions and public protests, it explores these movements' distinctive secular understanding of human procreation. While traditional societies interpreted birth using religious or spiritual frameworks, anti-natalists consider procreation an ethical decision shaped by legal reasoning, scientific knowledge and existential philosophy. They portray birth as a random event subject to calculation, raise questions about consent to life and position parents as ethically responsible ‘small gods’. These movements, which have found resonance among urban youth, point to deep changes in how people think about family ties and social obligations. Questions about having children have become more complex as reproductive technologies multiply and environmental pressures mount. What was once taken for granted now prompts serious ethical reflection.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"40 6","pages":"3-6"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142764024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tandem politics and kusturizatsia: Power and money in contemporary Kyrgyzstan","authors":"Aksana Ismailbekova","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12926","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12926","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Drawing on fresh ethnographic research, this article examines how President Japarov and Security Chief Tashiev built their political alliance in post-2020 Kyrgyzstan. Their ‘tandem’ rule rests on a mix of friendship ties, family bonds and economic control through <i>kusturizatsia</i> – legalized extortion of criminal networks and corrupt officials. Using Sahlins’ concept of reciprocity, I show how money flows form the heart of their power, binding allies through gifts while crushing opponents through force. The tandem's fusion of state authority with criminal enterprise reveals new patterns of authoritarian rule in post-Soviet space.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"40 6","pages":"11-14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142764026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"It's all Lavender in Gaza","authors":"Hugh Gusterson","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12923","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12923","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This guest editorial examines Israel's deployment of the AI program Lavender in Gaza as a significant shift in counterinsurgency warfare, moving from traditional hearts-and-minds campaigns to algorithmic targeting. Drawing on investigative reporting and anthropological perspectives on algorithms, it analyses how Lavender transforms warfare through four critical stages: problematic initial parameters, systematic matching errors, declining human oversight, and erosion of moral responsibility. While the system presents a veneer of precision targeting, its flexible thresholds and high acceptable civilian casualty ratios enable mass civilian casualties while providing bureaucratic legitimacy. The analysis suggests this fusion of AI and killing represents a concerning precedent that could proliferate to other conflicts unless decisively addressed.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"40 6","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142764018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}