Conversations in Anthropology

Episode #27: Nancy Scheper-Hughes

Jan 2, 2020
In this engaging discussion, renowned anthropologist Nancy Scheper-Hughes shares insights from her remarkable career, highlighting her research on social suffering and organ trafficking. She dives into her Brooklyn upbringing and how early experiences shaped her path in anthropology. Scheper-Hughes reflects on the tension between solidarity and disagreement in activism, and her groundbreaking work on clerical abuses and organ trafficking, which even led to meetings with Pope Francis. Her passionate advocacy sheds light on the complex ethical dilemmas faced by anthropologists.
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ANECDOTE

Brooklyn Childhood Shaped Her Curiosity

  • Nancy Scheper-Hughes grew up in Williamsburg in a mixed immigrant neighborhood shaped by Holocaust silence and curiosity.
  • A childhood among refugees and a book-filled home seeded her interest in people and suffering.
ANECDOTE

Peace Corps Brazil: House Arrest And Community Work

  • Nancy joined the Peace Corps in Brazil, trained as a health agent, and built a daycare community creche under military surveillance.
  • She was placed under house arrest but continued community work and learned Portuguese through local officials.
INSIGHT

Solidarity Requires Accompaniment

  • Nancy argues identity politics can fragment solidarity and limit cross-racial collaboration in activism.
  • She insists ethnographic solidarity requires accompaniment and willingness to be a follower, not always a leader.
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