The World Health Organization (WHO): A Problem of Trust

Over the past twenty years or so, what has been the record of the World Health Organization when it comes to major public health crises? Has the WHO itself invented at least some of those crises? Was there in fact a H1N1 “pandemic”? What counts as a “pandemic,” according to the WHO? What are the relationships between the WHO and scientists, large pharmaceutical transnational corporations, powerful member states, and private donors? …

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The “Science” of Global Domination

While it is an odd mix of physics, biology, and geometry that has captured the communications strategy of military planners, the messages themselves are very telling about how such planners go about envisioning US global domination, and the parts to be played by others in assuring that dominance. Some thus speak about the “center of […]

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“Deep Obeah,” by Roi Kwabena

This is my animation of a musical spoken word poem by my late friend and collaborator, Dr. Roi Kwabena. The piece is titled “Deep Obeah” and is perhaps the most musical and most sung of the pieces that he produced and that made its way onto his Y42K album. Also, so far this is the […]

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Name that Scientist!

Imagine, 2008, and some foreigner travels to Barbados, and right under Barbadian noses he picks up the “world’s smallest snake,” known to native Barbadians since there have been native Barbadians, and he proclaims — without a metal helmet, bible, and cross — that he has discovered the snake, and that he will name it. The […]

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Encounters and conflicts within and between disciplines: Experimental philosophy and ethnography (1.3)

An interesting discussion has been taking place on Savage Minds titled, “Philosophers discover lost tribe in jungles of free will” by Chris Kelty. The discussion and debate that ensues there centres on the development of what some call “experimental philosophy” (with a digest available here). This movement, shortened to X-Phi, involves using quantitative research, especially […]

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International Ethnographic Film Festival of Quebec: Comments

On Saturday, January 26, 2008, I was invited to present an address at the 5th annual International Ethnographic Film Festival of Quebec (website), at Concordia University (schedule). What I present below are extracts from that address, with reference to two ethnographic videos: Roman Postcards Silvia Gigliodoro, 21 min, 2007, Italy. This film was shot entirely […]

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“Important Ideas” in Anthropology

Back in 1989, Edmund Carpenter joined in a particularly visceral polemic occasioned by the release of Robert Gardner’s film, Forest of Bliss. I will not recapitulate that debate here, which in part centered on Gardner’s art versus anthropological science, on Gardner’s visual poetry versus anthropological theory, on Gardner’s evocative imagery/imagination versus steady narration…I will just […]

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