Talk On — Debates in Anthropology

In this episode, Jovan Maud speaks with Jeremy Rayner about his co-edited publication 'Back to the ‘30s? – Recurring Crises of Capitalism, Liberalism and Democracy', that explores the political and economic dynamics of the 1930s and their relevance to contemporary issues. The discussion delves into the rise of authoritarianism, neoliberalism, and the role of economic power in shaping political landscapes today. Rayner reflects on how the legacies of the 1930s continue to influence current debates, particularly around democracy, governance, and the environment. Drawing on various interdisciplinary perspectives, he emphasizes the importance of a nuanced understanding of history, highlighting the similarities and differences between past and present struggles. The conversation offers a thought-provoking take on how historical insights can inform our understanding of today's complex global challenges. Rayner argues for a nuanced understanding of history that recognizes both continuities and critical differences with the past, while warning that once authoritarian figures gain control, they rarely give it back. The conversation underscores the importance of historically informed political analysis as we navigate increasingly complex global issues.

In this episode, Christoph Brumann speaks with Xenia Cherkaev about her book 'Gleaning for Communism', which Focaal: The Journal of Global and Historical Anthropology has listed among their "One Hundred Indispensable Works for Thinking in Our Times." The book is a historical ethnography of Soviet-era collectivist economies and their lasting legacy. It examines its object through a conceptual lens informed by everyday recollections of pilfering industrial scrap home from the work to make useful things, and by Soviet legal scholars' theories of the state as a "socialist household," characterized by shared resources and communal ethics. Cherkaev and Brumann unpack how these ideas played out in practice—ranging from the Stalin-era personal redistribution around the plan to the tensions between collective interests and personal ownership during Gorbachev’s perestroika. Delving into the ethics of exchange, the concept of gleaning, and the symbolic relationship between socialist ideals and individual responsibility, they discuss the broader implications of these ideas for understanding modern economies and the role of the state in balancing public and private interests.

In this episode, Christoph Brumann talks to Julia Vorhölter about her research on sleep and sleeplessness. Julia's personal struggle with insomnia led her to investigate why sleep, despite being essential, is under-explored in anthropology. They discuss the challenges of studying sleep, a private and indirect experience that is difficult to observe or communicate. Julia's fieldwork in sleep labs examines the relationship between subjective sleep experiences and objective data. She contrasts sleep apnea, which is measurable, with insomnia, which is harder to diagnose and often dismissed by doctors despite its significant impact. Her research also explores sleep's political, economic, and social dimensions.

Philipp Demgenski, a postdoctoral researcher and author, discusses his ethnographic research on urban redevelopment in Qingdao, China. He delves into the transformation of Dabaodao, exploring its colonial past and the complexities of preserving heritage amidst bureaucratic challenges. Key themes include the ambivalence of local residents towards relocation, the vulnerability of migrant tenants, and the pitfalls of fragmented governance in redevelopment projects. Demgenski also shares insights on the role of preservationists and critiques the notion that heritage alone can solve urban issues.

In this episode of Talk On, host Jovan Maud talks to his guest Marek Mikuš about a topic concerning (almost) everyone: Debt and how people understand, manage, and live with it. They discuss Marek Mikuš's work in the Emmy Noether Group "Peripheral Debt", his research in the field, and how his forthcoming article "Tracking mortgage pathways in Zaghreb: Everyday economics of debt, housing wealth and debtors agency in a European semi-periphery" came to be. In this article, Marek sheds some light on the financial peculiarities of housing mortgages and how these peculiarities, i.e. the pegging of the mortgage to the Swiss currency instead of the Croatian, can work against debtors and their dream of home ownership. The two talk about debtors' movements, political and legal battles, and a Croatian couple struggling to pay their soaring principles but persisting, even against the hurdles built up by creditors.

In this episode, Christoph Brumann talks to Mario Schmidt about his research that led to his book 'Migrants and masculinity in High-Rise Nairobi: the pressure of being a man in an African city'. Among other things, they talk about how many male migrants design their future on trajectories of personal and economic growth but have to adjust or indefinitely postpone their plans once they arrive in Kenya's capital. They also talk about the pressure these men feel to succeed, the pressure that comes from romantic partners, spouses, relatives in the country, and children. Because of this pressure, they create homosocial spaces in which they participate, where a sense of brotherhood arises and their sense of pressure is alleviated. They also describe how male migrants model their financial, physical, and mental well-being in three different masculine spaces - an ethnically homogenous investment group, an interethnic gym, and the semi-digital sphere of self-help books, workshops, and motivational trainings on man- and fatherhood. The book is available for open access: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/86009

In this episode, Jovan Maud talks to Annika Lems about her book "Frontiers of Belonging. The Education of Unaccompanied Refugee Youth" published by Indiana University Press. During the conversation, they address the specifics of Swiss integration policy. Which is comparable to the refugee policies of many other European countries. But how well does this system work?

In this episode, Christoph Brumann talks to Mascha Schulz about her research on nonreligion in Bangladesh. Further, they discuss the special issue "An Anthropology of Nonreligion?" published in the Berghan journal "Religion and Society" edited by Mascha and Stefan Binder. They touch on topics like why Anthropology is a latecomer in Nonreligious Studies, why it is no less important, forms of organised nonreligion, and the Satanic Temple. https://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/religion-and-society/14/1/religion-and-society.14.issue-1.xml

Romm Lewkowicz, a postdoctoral researcher in Anthropology, dives into the intricate world of biometric documentation and undocumented migration in Europe. He reveals how migration policies have turned Europe into a testbed for experimental documentation technologies. Romm discusses EuroDAC, fingerprint databases, and the troubling differential treatment of citizens versus non-citizens. His fieldwork on Chios highlights the island's transformation into a biometric hotspot, showcasing the limbo faced by migrants and the broader implications of identity systems.

In this episode, Christoph Brumann talks to our director Biao Xiang about his bestselling book 'Self as Method — Thinking through China and the World'. During the conversation, they touch on topics such as Chinese youth, the gentry, Hannah Arendt, how failure can lead to success, why language is more important than theory, and why everyone is a stranger.