In this book, Kathryn Schulz argues that the capacity to err is crucial to human cognition and is inextricably linked to humane and honorable qualities such as empathy, optimism, imagination, conviction, and courage. She contends that our aversion to wrongness is maladaptive and that by embracing our fallibility, we can revise our understanding of ourselves and the world. The book uses a wide range of examples, including historical incidents, personal stories, and philosophical arguments, to illustrate how wrongness is a vital part of human development and creativity[2][3][5].
Alisse Waterston's "My Father's Wars" is a poignant exploration of 20th-century social history through the lens of her father's life. It masterfully interweaves personal narrative with anthropological analysis, offering profound insights into themes of migration, memory, and violence. The book's unique structure, alternating between third-person storytelling and first-person reflections, creates a compelling and intimate reading experience. Waterston's work challenges traditional ethnographic approaches, demonstrating the power of combining personal experiences with rigorous academic research. The book's enduring relevance lies in its exploration of recurring patterns of displacement and violence, making it a timely and important contribution to the field.
On the podcast today I am joined by Presidential Scholar and Professor Emerita of Anthropology at John Jay College, City University of New York, Alisse Waterston to talk about her award-winning book, My Father’s Wars: Migration, Memory, and the Violence of A Century (Routledge, 2024). The book was first published in the Innovative Ethnographies series by Routledge Books in 2014. Its acclaim has led to the Tenth Anniversary edition which has just come out in 2024.
My Father’s Wars is a story about twentieth-century social history told through the vivid account of Alisse’s father as he journeys across continents, countries, cultures, languages, generations—and wars. The book is a beautifully moving account bridging family narrative and anthropological offering deeply insightful reflections on themes that remain more urgent than before, including migration, memory and violence. Captivating and powerful, the book is not only an important example of just how much ethnographic writing can show rather than tell, it is also an example of the wide terrain of how anthropologists can communicate knowledge multimedia accompaniments.
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