Anthropology Today最新文献

{"title":"Stories behind numbers: Symbols in underground lottery gambling in Vietnam","authors":"Le Hoang Anh Thu","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12903","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12903","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 <p>This article explores the symbolic significance of numbers in Vietnam's underground lottery game, <i>đề</i>, based on ethnographic fieldwork in Ho Chi Minh City. It investigates how players interpret everyday events and dreams through numbers, creating a unique blend of personal and cultural symbolism. These number symbols function both publicly within the game's subculture and personally, resonating with broader anthropological discussions on the role of symbols in life narratives and cultural performances. By attaching numerical significance to mundane occurrences, players gain a sense of agency and foster shared cultural understanding. The article situates the lottery game within the broader context of Vietnamese culture, emphasizing the crucial role of numbers in daily life and calling for further exploration of numerical practices in Vietnamese society.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12903","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142158630","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":"CHINA, EMPIRE AND WORLD ANTHROPOLOGY: A reply to Hamilton & Chang, AT 27(6)","authors":"Magnus Fiskesjö","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12906","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12906","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This comment critically examines the legacy of Chinese anthropologist Fei Xiaotong and its implications for understanding China's approach to non-Chinese peoples on the territory that became modern China. The author argues that Fei's concept of ‘pluralistic unity’ has been misinterpreted and actually represents a continuation of China's imperial ideology of absorbing conquered populations. The piece links this ideology to current Chinese policies, particularly the treatment of Uyghurs and other non-Chinese peoples. It contends that the Chinese Communist Party abandoned its original anti-imperialist stance in favour of continuing imperial practices, resulting in the transformation of multiple nations into nominal ‘minorities’ and then their erasure under the guise of national unity. The author calls for a reassessment of China's anthropology through the lens of colonialism, racism and imperialism, arguing that China's imperial legacy must be critically examined to understand its current policies and actions. The article situates this discussion within the broader context of emerging literature on Chinese settler colonialism. It emphasizes the need for a comparative approach in studying China's past and present imperialism.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142158636","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 worship of Dr Sousa Martins: Spiritual healing in Portugal","authors":"Emily Pierini","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12901","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12901","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 <p>This article examines the worship of Dr José Tomás Sousa Martins, a 19th-century physician revered as a lay saint and healer in Portugal, attracting devotees from diverse backgrounds. Some devotees come in search of healing and leave votive offerings at his statue in front of the NOVA Medical School in Lisbon. Others view him as a spirit guide who manifests through mediums in Umbanda practices and the healing rituals of the Spiritualist Christian temples of the Vale do Amanhecer in Brazil. Dr Sousa Martins bridges the domains of spirituality and biomedicine. This article explores the materiality of devotional practices through the circulation of things and images and the intersection of therapeutic itineraries in shaping places of worship. It examines how healing is sought through devotion during health crises, emphasizing the importance of the senses and religious and diagnostic images in devotees’ healing narratives.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12901","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142158633","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":"Classified","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12909","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12909","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142158631","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":"Human-animal interactions: Camera traps as research agents","authors":"Nicolas Lainé,&nbsp;Romain Simenel,&nbsp;Morgane Labadie,&nbsp;Nishant M. Srinivasaiah,&nbsp;Anindya Sinha","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12905","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12905","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 <p>This article explores the use of camera traps as novel research agents in studying human-animal interactions and animal behaviour. Drawing on case studies from ecological research in India and ritual practices in Thailand, the authors examine how camera traps transform methodologies across the natural and social sciences and ask what these technologies reveal about animal responses to human presence and the cognitive underpinnings of their behaviours. Using Actor-Network-Theory frameworks and more-than-human philosophy, the authors argue that camera traps are not passive recording devices but active participants that shape the multispecies realities they observe. The case studies illustrate how animals learn to recognize and respond to camera traps, demonstrating situational awareness, evaluative cognition and adaptive learning. The authors advocate for an interdisciplinary approach to studying human-animal interactions that accounts for the agentive capacities of both humans and nonhumans, including technological agents like camera traps. This article contributes to ongoing discussions in ethology, anthropology and cognitive science about the use of remote imaging in field research and the conceptual and ethical implications of technological interventions in more-than-human lifeworlds.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12905","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142158635","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":"Anthropogenic illness and harmony in nature: Redefining health in modern Vietnam","authors":"Le Hoang Ngoc Yen","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12904","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12904","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 <p>The Vietnamese public increasingly attribute the rise in cancer and chronic diseases to factors such as environmental pollution, food safety issues and contemporary lifestyles. This article examines these perceptions through interviews with individuals living with chronic conditions, their caregivers, and adherents of a macrobiotic diet − an alternative health approach. The study reveals a prevailing belief that illnesses manifest anthropogenic impacts within the human body, signifying the detrimental effects of human-induced environmental changes. The advocated solution, encapsulated in the macrobiotic diet, is viewed as a ‘return’ to more natural living. This approach is not merely dietary but also symbolizes a broader philosophical shift towards ‘de-anthropogenizing’ – a concerted effort to cleanse the body of environmental impurities caused by human actions. The macrobiotic practice, therefore, represents more than a health strategy; it embodies a profound desire to realign human activities with natural processes. This study underscores an emergent narrative in Vietnam where health recovery and environmental stewardship converge, advocating for a respectful, harmonious coexistence with nature. The findings highlight the complex interplay between public health, environmental consciousness and the search for alternative solutions in the face of mounting concerns over the impact of modernization on individual and collective well-being.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12904","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142158634","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":"Front and Back Covers, Volume 40, Number 4. August 2024","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12807","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12807","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Front and back cover caption, volume 40 issue 4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;VIETNAMESE UNDERGROUND LOTTERY&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The front cover image captures the essence of Vietnam's underground lottery game, đề. Central to the scene are runners and bookies, the critical intermediaries in this illegal yet persistent practice. In a bustling urban setting, people gather to watch lottery draws, discuss numbers and place bets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Numbers dominate the visual landscape, appearing on scraps of paper, digital displays and floating ethereally in the background. These are not mere figures, but powerful symbols carrying deep personal and cultural meanings. A player might be seen contemplating everyday objects or recalling a dream, illustrating how đề participants creatively derive their bets from daily life and nocturnal visions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The image reflects Le Hoang Anh Thu's research on how đề permeates players' routines in Ho Chi Minh City. It depicts the intersection of tradition and modernity, with the game thriving amidst a rapidly changing urban environment. The dreamlike quality of floating numbers and faint lottery ticket patterns echoes the players' belief in supernatural messages.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This visual narrative encapsulates how đề transcends gambling to become a way for players to interpret their world. It invites readers to consider the broader anthropological significance of numerical symbolism across cultures, highlighting how numbers shape life narratives and cultural performances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cover image thus offers a glimpse into a practice that connects everyday Vietnamese experiences with deeper cultural meanings, illustrating the universal yet culturally specific ways numerical reasoning permeates human life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MACROBIOTICS IN VIETNAM&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This image captures the essence of Le Hoang Ngoc Yen's study on macrobiotics in Vietnam, showing the striking differences between city life and traditional macrobiotic practices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The left side depicts a bustling cityscape, symbolizing the challenges of contemporary living. High-rise buildings, heavy traffic and visible pollution represent the environmental degradation that accompanies rapid industrialization and urbanization. This side embodies the health hazards of modern life, including exposure to pollutants and processed foods, which many Vietnamese associate with the rise in chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular ailments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In contrast, the right side portrays a serene rural setting that embodies macrobiotic principles. Lush greenery, simple homes and clear water symbolize harmony with nature. Community members engage in health-promoting activities such as gardening and cooking with fresh, organic ingredients. This side represents the perceived benefits of returning to natural, unprocessed foods and a lifestyle aligned with ancestral wisdom and environmental sustainability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yen's research, based on extensive interviews and field visits, reveals growing concern among Vietnamese about the impact o","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12807","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142158493","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":"Time out of joint","authors":"Chris Hann","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12900","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12900","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This guest editorial critically examines the current landscape of European politics and reassesses anthropology's role in deciphering contemporary social and political dynamics. It analyzes the surge of populism, epitomized by leaders like Hungary's Viktor Orbán, and challenges prevailing narratives on migration, the Ukraine conflict and European integration. The editorial argues that anthropologists must engage more intimately with grassroots perspectives and the notion of ‘peoplehood’ to grasp the intricacies of national identity and sovereignty in our globalized era. By questioning the dominant liberal cosmopolitan worldview, it proposes an alternative anthropological approach that considers both the advantages and pitfalls of open borders and supranational entities like the EU. This call for a more holistic anthropological perspective aims to deepen our understanding of the complex interplay between local, national and global forces shaping contemporary European societies.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142158632","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":"Despotism on the shop floor: Foreign company labour governance in Ethiopia's industrial park","authors":"Yonas Tesema","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12902","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12902","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 <p>In recent years, Ethiopia has become a prime destination for labour-intensive, export-oriented manufacturing industries by virtue of its favourable investment climate and cheap labour. This article examines the labour governance and disciplinary strategies of foreign companies in Ethiopia's industrial park, focusing on the Blue Apparel Company (BAC) in the Bole Lemi Industrial Park, Addis Ababa. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted from August 2021 to August 2022, the study reveals how relaxed labour regulations and the absence of trade unions enable foreign firms to enforce strict, profit-driven governance. The analysis highlights despotic management practices, hierarchical power dynamics and their impact on local workers. The findings shed light on the intricacies of labour control in globalized production regimes and highlight the challenges workers encounter in emerging economies.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12902","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142158627","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":"Smart farms? Ethnographic insights from agricultural digitalization in Turkey","authors":"Ziya Kaya","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12893","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12893","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Agriculture in Turkey is amid profound transformations through digitalization, aiming for improved efficiency (more food from less land) and socioeconomic and ecological sustainability. This article examines farmers in western Turkey using so-called ‘smart’ agriculture technologies, particularly drones. Drones provide quantification and visualization of farms’ conditions and enable farmers to apply chemicals accordingly. Yet, in Turkey, drones are not equally accessible to all farmers owing to their high cost and incompatibility with some farms’ ecologies and existing technologies. Using drones also necessitates taking additional steps to align with Turkey's existing national security measures. Drawing on fieldwork with farmers and technicians in Turkey, I show how farmers participate in addressing these sociomaterialities of drones and the modalities of the state, exploring novel socialities and surveillance practices they have gone through.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141245618","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}