Just a little trailer for 2023 new listeners to This Anthro Life!Learn more about the podcast here: thisanthrolife.org

People with disabilities often face accessibility issues in physical environments, such as a lack of ramps, narrow doorways, and inaccessible transportation. Every barrier is a reminder that designs are choices, ones made without people with disabilities at the decision-making table.But solving these problems requires more than physical adjustments. It necessitates understanding the experiences of people with disabilities and involving them in the creation of purposefully designed spaces, policies, and more. In this episode, renowned disability rights advocate and Associate Professor at Stony Brook University Brooke Ellison explores the complex and often misunderstood world of disabilities with This Anthro Life host Adam Gamwell. Drawing from her latest memoir “Look Both Ways,” Brooke also shares her journey as an activist and the importance of inclusivity and accessibility.Brooke Ellison, a brilliant author and inspiring speaker, has dedicated her life to advocating for disability rights and raising awareness about the sociocultural issues surrounding it. Having experienced a life-altering car accident at the age of eleven that left her paralyzed from the neck down, Brooke's journey has been one of resilience, determination, and self-discovery. With a PhD in sociology and a passion for making a difference, Brooke has taken on multiple roles, including serving on the President's Council on Bioethics and the Spinal Cord Injury Research Board of New York State. As a professor and medical ethics expert as well as someone living with quadriplegia, she brings a unique perspective to the conversation on disability, challenging societal norms and advocating for a more inclusive world.Show Highlights:[05:48] Why Brooke wrote her two memoirs[12:35] The value of bringing in personal experiences when teaching about disability[19:57] The idea of hope as a process[27:42] How disabilities highlight the interconnectedness of our lives[32:15] The value of taking a sociocultural approach to disability[36:11] Why Brooke ran for public office in 2006[42:10] Why Brooke started the nonprofit Brooke Ellison Project[44:16] Interesting findings of Brooke’s dissertation on stem cell researchLinks and Resources:Look Both Ways (TAL Affiliate Bookstore)Check out Brooke Ellison’s websiteConnect with Brooke Ellison via LinkedIn or her websiteConnect with Adam Gamwell via email, LinkedIn, or TwitterSubscribe to the This Anthro Life newsletter

In this episode, Angela Saini, award-winning science journalist and author of “The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule,” traces the material and social roots of patriarchy with host Adam Gamwell. The duo explores how anthropology can help us better understand the patriarchy and patriarchical power by contextualizing and breaking down big ideas. Anthropology enables us to examine broad, complex topics through specific cultural and historical lenses. It also helps us dissect grand narrative ideas to reveal their historical trajectories. But perhaps most importantly, anthropology reminds us that we need to think about big ideas contextually, especially emotionally and politically charged ideas like the patriarchy. They dive into the definition of patriarchy and its ties to social structures, social privileges, and oppression. The conversation also touches on how different cultures interpret and shape the deployment and maintenance of gender and power to reflect their unique social norms. Saini emphasizes the importance of understanding the social variation and how male domination adapts to different changes. Drawing on many forms of evidence, she discusses the multiplicities of patriarchies, how patriarchy today functions and shapes different aspects of our lives, and how we can think big about what form of society we’d like to continue, reinvent, or totally change for ourselves and our children. Saini's work aims to bring awareness to the many different kinds of patriarchies that exist and how they are being recreated and reasserted today.Episode Highlights:[05:57] Why we shouldn’t think of the patriarchy as a monolith[09:31] Why pre-history wasn’t necessarily patriarchal[13:44] Why thinkers started to question where patriarchy came from[17:16] Why James Mellaart believed Çatalhöyük was a matriarchal society[23:55] How the Haudenosaunee inspired the beliefs of women’s rights activists[26:57] How early civilizations’ concerns about population led to binary gender norms[30:24] Possibilities that slavery and patrilocality informed each other[36:32] Why freedom and women’s liberation are nuanced[43:05] The Kitchen Debate and the clash of capitalism and communism[50:40] How Kerala, India now positions itself as a beacon of women’s empowerment[55:54] How we can build the society we hope to see in the futureLinks and Resources:The Patriarchs: The Origins of InequalitySuperior: The Return of Race ScienceInferior: How Science Got Women WrongConnect with Angela Saini via LinkedInCheck out Angela Saini’s websiteConnect with Adam Gamwell via email, LinkedIn, or TwitterSubscribe to the This Anthro Life newsletter

When we think of robots, we tend to think of things like R2-D2, the Terminator skeleton, or a piece of machinery that automates the construction of goods in an assembly line. But that’s not all there is to robots — something anthropologist and roboticist entrepreneur Lora Koycheva understands perfectly well. In this episode, Lora shares her unique perspective on the intersection of anthropology and cyber-physical systems with host Adam Gamwell. She also discusses how anthropology can shed light on what robots afford human bodies, why the physical side of robots is just as important as their operating systems, and how robots can potentially reshape the human condition.Episode Highlights:[03:03] How Lora brought together entrepreneurship, innovation, anthropology, and robotics[08:24] On-demand infrastructure and how it empowers robotics in the urban realm[11:59] How we can get comfortable with the physical side of robotics[18:28] How Lora came up with the idea of rebuilding the human condition in a world of robots[22:52] How and why Lora set up the Green Like a Robot project and why it matters for scholarship and society[27:04] Questions worth tackling when working with robots[35:51] Lora’s experience working with engineers[40:10] Commonalities between anthropology and engineering worth cultivating[45:06] Why embodiment is difficult to innovate through digital meansLinks and Resources:Green Like a RobotConnect with Lora Koycheva via LinkedInConnect with Adam Gamwell via email, LinkedIn, or TwitterSubscribe to the This Anthro Life newsletter

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many of us individually and as a global cohort to reassess how and why we live the ways that we do and what really matters to us. Through the pandemic, we may have also felt moments of awe at the natural world and questioned our place in it. In moments like these, we’re afforded glimpses into how we choose to operate in the world and understand our place in relation to everything else. Rituals play a key role in helping us make sense of the world around us, yet we often forget that they’re even there. Today’s guest, Sasha Sagan, picks up on this thread through her writing and podcast work.Daughter of “Cosmos” co-writer Ann Druyan and astronomer Carl Sagan, Sasha talks with host Adam Gamwell about the power of ritual for making meaning across life, death, nature, and more. She also shares how she learned to ask questions, the value of finding awe in the most mundane of rituals, and how turning our attention anew to the natural world can help us add wonder back into our lives.Show Highlights:[06:53] What inspired Sasha to create her podcast “Strange Customs”[13:04] How Sasha’s parents taught her to love and ask questions[21:30] How parents may inadvertently teach their children to stop asking questions[29:33] Our beliefs and customs around language and communication[37:56] How Sasha thinks about different media as different methods for storytelling[47:56] How we dress up scientific phenomena in beliefs and customs[59:19] Why people are getting more creative with how they tackle life-defining moments[01:00:45] How we can demonstrate anthropology’s value[01:03:37] How we can add awe back into our livesLinks and Resources:Strange Customs with Sasha SaganFor Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World by Sasha Sagan (Anthrocurious' Bookstore Affiliate Link - purchasing here supports the show!)Check out Sasha Sagan’s websiteConnect with Sasha Sagan via Twitter or InstagramConnect with Adam Gamwell via email, LinkedIn, or TwitterSubscribe to the This Anthro Life newsletter

How to Build a More Resilient WorldThe COVID-19 pandemic leveled the playing field between those who have the privilege to avoid or mitigate disasters and those who don’t. But the pandemic is just one of many ongoing challenges and crises that people are and have been facing for years. In addition to raising awareness, much of the work that we have as people and organizations is in how we respond in moments of crisis. How do we know what works? How can we respond effectively? And will one type of aid be culturally appropriate if moved to another area? To help us answer these questions, we’re joined today by Britt Titus. Britt is the Behavioural Insights Lead at the Airbel Impact Lab, the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) research and innovation team which designs, tests, and scales solutions for people affected by conflict and disaster. Drawing from her decade-long experience in the humanitarian space, Britt talks about 1) how regional disaster response can be applied to global emergencies, 2) how the Airbel Impact Lab team localizes and evaluates the impact of its interventions, and 3) what’s top of mind for them in creating life-changing solutions for the communities that the IRC serves.Show Highlights:[03:37] How Britt found herself at the intersection of behavioral insights design and the humanitarian space[08:33] How lessons gleaned from regional disaster response can be applied to global emergencies[12:03] The methods that the Airbel Impact Lab uses to localize interventions[21:05] How the Lab evaluates the impact of its interventions[28:21] On the process of re-sharing localized information and learnings elsewhere[32:22] A key challenge facing Britt and her colleagues today[37:32] Britt discusses the Lab’s InforMH project[47:21] What Britt is looking forward to in the behavioral design and humanitarian spaceLinks and Resources:Airbel Impact LabInternational Rescue CommitteeInforMHTIWG Forced Migration Series: Humanitarian Response Interventions, Jeannie Annan and Britt TitusConnect with Britt Titus via LinkedInConnect with Adam Gamwell via email, LinkedIn, or TwitterSubscribe to the This Anthro Life newsletter

In today’s episode of This Anthro Life, anthropologists Elizabeth Briody and Phil Surles join host Adam Gamwell to discuss their latest project: Anthropologists on the Public Stage, a self-paced video course for social scientists who want to increase their public presence and impact.Adam, Elizabeth, and Phil reflect on making the series, what they learned along the way, and what they hope people will get out of it.Show Highlights:[04:04] How the team came up with Anthropologists on the Public Stage[07:46] The importance of teamwork in putting anthropology projects together[13:58] How Elizabeth approached the project[19:33] Phil’s thoughts on the process of putting the project together[27:56] Why the project includes training exercises[36:17] What Phil hopes people will get out of the project[39:59] What Elizabeth hopes people will get out of the project[45:14] Closing statementsLinks and Resources:Anthropologists on the Public StageSubscribe to This Anthro Life’s newsletterConnect with Adam via emailConnect with Adam via the This Anthro Life website

Consumers today find brands through many online sources, including search engines and social media. And with the rise of hyper-personalized ads, consumers are constantly being bombarded with brands that seem to speak to their needs and interests.Given such a landscape, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that brands need to move beyond business fundamentals and into the fundamentals that we share as human beings if they wish to stand out. That is to say, brands need to shape not only what consumers buy, but also how they feel about and relate to brands themselves.In today’s episode of This Anthro Life, host Adam Gamwell speaks with Dr. Matt Johnson, author of “Branding That Means Business,” about the whys and hows of consumer-brand relationships, brand strategy and identity, the role brands play in our lives, and more.Show Highlights:[03:08] The fundamental principles of branding[05:48] On the functional value of brands[09:18] How brands can shape consumers’ perceptions of reality[15:06] The ways brands can be smart about being global[21:51] Why brand strategy should be specific and consistent[25:01] On brand polysemy[28:30] On the difference between corporate social responsibility and activism[34:15] Closing statementsLinks and Resources:Matt Johnson’s websiteBranding That Means Business by Matt Johnson and Tessa Misiaszek (link to the Anthrocurious bookstore, where purchasing the book supports the authors, local bookstores and the Anthrocurious community. It's a win win win.)231 - Branding That Means Business with Matt Johnson by The Brainy Business PodcastSubscribe to This Anthro Life’s newsletterConnect with Adam via emailConnect with Adam via the This Anthro Life website

Indigenous cultures around the world have a trickster god or figure in their mythos. For example, the Pacific Northwest Native Americans have the Raven, a selfish, hungry, and mischievous figure who transforms the world. Stories tell how the Raven brought out the sun, moon, and stars to light the world only by cleverly deceiving others.In today’s episode of This Anthro Life, Dr. Shepherd Siegel, activist scholar and author of “Tricking Power into Performing Acts of Love: How Tricksters Through History Have Changed the World,” discusses the Trickster archetype with host Adam Gamwell. Together, Shepherd and Adam explore attributes of the Trickster, Shepherd’s favorite Tricksters, and examples that demonstrate Trickster archetypes confronting power and tricking it into love.Show Highlights:[04:05] Breaking down the title of the book[11:00] What love has to do with the trickster archetype[17:04] How Shepherd’s background came into play in writing his book[24:48] The different kinds of play and how they relate to the warrior and the trickster[29:46] The Burning Man as an example of a cultural experience premised on disruptive play[37:01] Why the trickster is anti-war[45:45] On Richard Pryor narrating George Floyd’s murder in 1979[56:07] Bugs Bunny as an example of a character that exemplifies the trickster archetype[59:07] Closing statementsLinks and Resources:Check out the new Anthrocurious Bookshop - partnership with Bookstore.org where you can support local bookstores and the podcast when you purchase books mentioned on the show.Tricking Power into Performing Acts of Love: How Tricksters Through History Have Changed the World by Shepherd Siegel's websiteSubscribe to This Anthro Life’s newsletterConnect with Adam via emailConnect with Adam via the This Anthro Life websiteIf you're getting something out of This Anthro Life, then please share it with your friends and family! Let them know that this podcast is a great source of interesting and informative stories about anthropology and the human experience. With your help, we can reach more people and bring them into the fascinating world of anthropology. So join us in our mission to make anthropology accessible and share This Anthro Life today!

Show NotesBuilding a New Labor Market for Global Design Talent with Fredrik ThomassenMore and more businesses are switching to remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But one startup was ahead of the curve, having been 100% remote since its inception in 2016.That startup is Superside, a fully distributed design operations platform that seeks to support a global remote workforce. By introducing a remote work policy, Superside gives designers around the world better income opportunities, regardless of their gender, race, or location.In this episode, host Adam Gamwell speaks with Superside CEO and Founder Fredrik Thomassen about remote work and how the pandemic accelerated its adoption worldwide, the promise and challenge of fully online organizations, the inclusion of minorities in the workforce as a global business imperative, and more.Show Highlights:[04:10] How Fredrik Thomassen started Superside[07:37] On the power of remote work and the opportunities it opens up[14:23] How remote work can improve workforce diversity[20:07] Issues with traditional hiring practices[24:50] On the importance of taking candidates’ values into account in the hiring process [29:19] How Superside keeps its employees happy and fulfilled[35:44] Why management is not as complicated as it is made out to be[37:55] Why Superside as an organization values truth-seeking[45:54] Closing statementsLinks and Resources:Check out SupersideSubscribe to This Anthro Life’s newsletterConnect with Adam via emailConnect with Adam via the This Anthro Life website