{"title":"Front and Back Covers, Volume 39, Number 6. December 2023","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12721","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1467-8322.12721","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Front and back cover caption, volume 39 issue 6</p><p>CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS POWER</p><p>The jolly figure of Santa Claus, tankard in hand as he rests his feet atop a sack of toys, invites us to ponder the mystery behind this iconic Christmas emblem. Who is the real Santa, and what is his relationship to adults and children during the holiday season? This image of Santa on the cover of Puck magazine's 1896 Christmas edition alludes to the complex web of secrecy and revelation that enables Santa to materialize each year.</p><p>As Martí Torra Merín explores in the accompanying article, Santa Claus and other Christmas figures occupy a unique position in contemporary Western cultures. Their ‘existence’ relies upon the innocence projected onto children, who serve as conduits to the magical realm. Yet children's agency in navigating this process has been overlooked. Through an ethnographic study in Catalonia, the article reveals that even young children detect inconsistencies in Santa's portrayal, and older children may feign ignorance of the ‘secret’ to prolong the magic.</p><p>Far from fragile, children's awareness empowers their agency. Their liminal position, privy to the ‘public secret’ that adults both disbelieve in Santa and expect children's innocence, allows for clever navigation of cultural expectations. Like Puck's impish character, children toe the line between innocence and cunning. Ultimately, the article argues, recognizing children's agency is key to understanding how Santa materializes each Christmas through intricate social performances between adults and youth. This image encapsulates that interplay, with Santa as the symbolic connector between magical worlds and everyday realities.</p><p>SEX AND GENDER ARE INSEPARABLE</p><p>This back cover image* visually embodies the guest editorial's exploration of how the complex interplay between sex and gender defies conventional binary perceptions.</p><p>The left circle, ‘sex’, includes the biological aspects of our being, encompassing our evolved physical attributes, biomaterial processes and bodily characteristics that are often, albeit incorrectly, assumed to be fixed and immutable. It acknowledges biomateriality as a dynamic process more than a static ‘thing’.</p><p>The right circle, ‘gender’, encapsulates the roles, behaviours and identities shaped through socialization within various social groups and cultural constructs. It signifies the fluid and dynamic nature of how we express and identify ourselves in society, which is not necessarily aligned with biological sex.</p><p>At the intersection of these two spheres lies the ‘gender/sex’ overlap, a space that acknowledges the co-construction of hormones and behaviour. This area represents the ongoing interplay and feedback loops between our biological traits and the social roles we embody. It is a recognition that hormones can influence behaviours that society reads as gendered and, conversely, that our social experiences and behaviours ca","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"39 6","pages":"i-ii"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12721","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138822457","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":"On the ambiguity of psychedelic awe in China","authors":"Alex K. Gearin","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12849","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1467-8322.12849","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 <p>Psychology research frequently portrays the epistemic emotion of wonder as an intrinsic good. However, anthropologists highlight that social contexts shape its ambiguous political and moral potential. This concise article explores the awe-inspiring DMT experience of a Chinese psychedelic user, which involves a humiliating encounter with a cosmic surveillance state. Analogous to the mood of wonder, the ambiguity inherent to psychedelic states originates from an existential vulnerability. This openness facilitates a wide range of potential social, moral, and psychological projects.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"39 6","pages":"18-20"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12849","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138822482","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":"Evidence and extinction: The possibility of another hominin sharing our planet","authors":"Gregory Forth","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12850","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1467-8322.12850","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article explores the possibility that Homo sapiens may not be the only surviving species of the Homo genus. The study is sparked by the discovery of Homo floresiensis, a small-bodied hominin found in Indonesia, and its resemblance to ‘ape-men’ described by local people on Flores Island. Through extensive ethnographic research in the Lio region of Flores, the author finds that local accounts of these ‘ape-men’ pre-date scientific discovery and closely align with it. The article challenges the scientific community's scepticism towards local folklore as credible evidence, citing instances where local knowledge has historically preceded scientific discovery. The author argues that the most straightforward explanation for the convergence of local accounts and fossil evidence is the continued existence of a species closely related to Homo floresiensis. The study calls for re-evaluating what constitutes evidence and opens the possibility that we may not be the only surviving hominins.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"39 6","pages":"21-23"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138822483","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":"Re-tribalization in the 21st century, part 2","authors":"Akbar Ahmed, Frankie Martin, Amineh Ahmed Hoti","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12846","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1467-8322.12846","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Part 2 of this article examines the resurgence of tribal identities in modern societies, a process termed re-tribalization, as a response to the failures of the modern state. It challenges the linear progression of societal evolution, suggesting that declining modernity prompts a return to primordial, tribal values for security and identity. The authors critique the state's unmet promises, leading to a re-embrace of tribal loyalty and community. They also discuss the role of media, politics, and AI in reinforcing tribal divisions, with AI potentially exacerbating societal cleavages. The article calls for an understanding of tribalism's role in society and advocates for the inclusion of the ‘Other’ to foster peaceful coexistence, setting the stage for their forthcoming book on inter-community harmony.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"39 6","pages":"6-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138822479","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 hidden power of children in Christmas traditions: Unveiling the role of secrecy and agency","authors":"Martí Torra-Merin","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12845","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1467-8322.12845","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 <p>The standard narrative surrounding Christmas figures like Santa Claus and the Three Wise Men often portrays children as passive recipients of adult-orchestrated illusions. This perspective overlooks the active role that children play in sustaining these traditions. Drawing on a study conducted in Catalonia, Spain, and existing literature, this article challenges the conventional wisdom by using the lens of secrecy theory to explore how children exercise their agency. It argues that children are not just passive actors but essential participants whose understanding of secrecy contributes to the perpetuation of these cultural figures.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"39 6","pages":"3-5"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8322.12845","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138822478","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":"An anthropology of impossible futures","authors":"Mark Goodale","doi":"10.1111/1467-8322.12834","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12834","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This guest editorial explores the intricate relationship between anthropology and the concept of impossible futures, focusing on the global push towards electric vehicles (EVs) and the lithium energy assemblage. Drawing inspiration from a lecture by palaeobiologist Mark Williams, a member of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG), the author reflects on the Anthropocene epoch and the human-caused transformations of the earth. It examines the European Green Deal's impact on the automotive industry, the global struggle for lithium and the paradoxes of green technology investments. It questions the feasibility of the envisioned future, emphasizing the contradictions within global capitalism and the potential futility of climate change mitigation efforts. The author calls for a reorientation in anthropological research, focusing on novel forms of unity, solidarity, justice and interspecies bonds in the face of seemingly impossible conditions. It concludes with a contemplation of anthropology's role in translating and understanding social life in the context of unattainable futures without losing sight of the discipline's contested past and inherent hope.</p>","PeriodicalId":46293,"journal":{"name":"Anthropology Today","volume":"39 5","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50119068","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}
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