I have to write this big research paper for my cultural anthro class, and I'm looking for recommendations for cool/ interesting groups to study. I've got to write ten pages on them, so I don't want to get bored! It's got to be a fairly specific group, but one that is not too obscure - I need to be able to find material. Thanks!
posted by howgenerica on Oct 27, 2009 - 31 answers

Did my mother really see a demonstration of ancient Egyptian mummification on a modern human cadaver on PBS in the late 90s? [more inside]
posted by Meg_Murry on Oct 16, 2009 - 8 answers

I'm looking for a fascinating piece that I read a few years back that painted an extensive portrait of the lives and culture of runaways and other people living on the margins, written from personal experience. I think it was very long, divided into two pages, and possibly specifically directed at writers whom the author was criticizing for getting their culture wrong. I remember that s/he alked about getting started mugging or shoplifting, how to handle yourself in fights to minimize the amount of actual fighting you would be forced to do, and I forget what all else. One part that I particularly remember asserted that people in this sort of situation could be very conservative sexually but promiscuous emotionally, or something like that. [more inside]
posted by mayhap on Oct 15, 2009 - 4 answers

Are there any cultures in which a smile is not an expression of happiness? [more inside]
posted by kmtiszen on Oct 14, 2009 - 17 answers

What is the most important scientific question of our time? [more inside]
posted by Demogorgon on Oct 12, 2009 - 44 answers

What do we know about gregariousness in human behavior? [more inside]
posted by bru on Jul 7, 2009 - 14 answers

What does a paleopathologist actually do? I'm not looking for technical terms, but rather "a day in the life of." Is there another term for this specialty that can lead to more information about the profession?
posted by biochemist on Jun 18, 2009 - 4 answers

I need a new "big think" book! I just finished Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, and I loved his other books as well. I've read everything Jared Diamond has published (Collapse, Guns, Germs & Steel, The Third Chimpanzee etc.) I like books that stretch your brain and reveal the hidden factors in life, the world and society. [more inside]
posted by musofire on May 10, 2009 - 65 answers

I’m trying to remember the name of a set of themed encyclopedias for children from my childhood. [more inside]
posted by studentbaker on Mar 9, 2009 - 11 answers

What are the most insightful interpretative writings about carnival/carnaval and mardi gras? [more inside]
posted by umbú on Feb 23, 2009 - 5 answers

Looking for a striking photo of a modern human facing a reconstructed Neanderthal face. [more inside]
posted by kalimac on Jan 9, 2009 - 7 answers

I would like to know more about anthropology, and have the ability to ask compelling questions about the subject. Where should I start? [more inside]
posted by nathaole on Dec 4, 2008 - 19 answers

Does anyone know about a past or present culture or subculture where it is acceptable to start or end a fair fight with a cockpunch? [more inside]
posted by Free word order! on Nov 7, 2008 - 11 answers

I'm looking for the origin of a quote attributed to Marcel Mauss for a friend. [more inside]
posted by cachondeo45 on Sep 24, 2008 - 7 answers

What are the reasons for and against constitutionally requiring a specific national language? [more inside]
posted by netbros on Aug 28, 2008 - 74 answers

Are we a monogamous species? [more inside]
posted by netbros on Jul 14, 2008 - 30 answers

What have been the most important books in social science (including psychology, political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, "applied" social sciences like marketing, and so on) of the past 50 years?
posted by Malad on Jun 3, 2008 - 19 answers

Years ago I read a book on organizational psychology written by an anthropologist. His thesis IIRC was that the ideal forms of human organization can be seen in the ways hunter-gatherer societies organized, and that nearly all modern organizations are diametrically opposed to that. Can anyone help me find this book? [more inside]
posted by semblance on Mar 22, 2008 - 7 answers

What can you (you wonderful, bright, worldly people, you) tell me about legal anthropology? I'd like to know about its ideological construction, presence in academia, personal experiences, applications in the non-academic world, and whatever you've got. Thanks!
posted by clockzero on Mar 17, 2008 - 4 answers

Is there a version of this representing attitudes from people within the US about their neighboring states? [more inside]
posted by bjork24 on Feb 20, 2008 - 28 answers

My friend and I saw this lovely carved-wood head with a crown (picture) at the American Museum of Natural History in the hall of African artifacts. Now we're curious about it and its European-looking crown. Why did people make this? [more inside]
posted by dreamyshade on Jan 27, 2008 - 10 answers

Where can I find good science fiction about alien ethnographers (or 'xenologists')? [more inside]
posted by showbiz_liz on Jan 19, 2008 - 31 answers

At a cocktail party last weekend, an Anthropologist was telling me about an experiment/study where people were shown videos of various animals preying on one another, and then measured their reactions. The findings, he contends, were that humans were largely more sympathetic to the deaths of animals more similar to themselves (i.e. sharing a more recent common ancestor). What is this study, what is this area of research called, and where can I read more about it? [more inside]
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj on Jan 18, 2008 - 8 answers

What online reads can you recommend on the subject of circadian rhythms and rituals, preferably from an anthropological and/or historical point of view? [more inside]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane on Jan 13, 2008 - 6 answers

Books about anthropology, psychology, sociology, modern rituals...I think. Can you point me in the right direction? [more inside]
posted by lhall on Dec 20, 2007 - 11 answers

What are some good books focusing on dental anthropology and evolution? [more inside]
posted by Loto on Dec 13, 2007 - 3 answers

I am searching for examples of The Infinite, or the immeasurably large, in our mythologies and archetypes. I am also interested in the categories of Truth which came out of the emergence of Western, ontological thought. Does the trust in a rationally conceivable reality deny us the infinity of the mythological realm? By rooting ourselves in the present, and denying atemporal mythologies, do we also deny the infinite origins from where we came? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Nov 28, 2007 - 22 answers

What are the best essays, books, or scholarly articles regarding the social role of maps? Both pre- and post- web 2.0, google earth mash ups, and the like. I'm familiar with the Situationalist critique, but wonder where else to begin reading. [more inside]
posted by pinto on Nov 25, 2007 - 5 answers

Does anyone know of any books or articles that look at conspiracy theories from an anthropology of religion or psychology point of view? [more inside]
posted by Sangermaine on Nov 22, 2007 - 6 answers

What are your favorite nontraditional, nontouristy, alternative, culturally-insightful things to do in or near Venice, Florence, and Rome? I mean the deeper anthropological kind of culture, not museums, opera, etc. I'm not looking for the usual must-see tourist destinations or the things that epitomize a city. I want the fascinating little finds you accidentally stumbled on and loved, but which few or no tours would have found because they aren't "sights". If it can give me a glimpse of how contemporary Italians see the world, to appreciate a bit more what it's like to be them, that's a turbo bonus. No points off for plain old fun activities either. [more inside]
posted by Askr on Nov 6, 2007 - 12 answers

When I was younger, I read a sociology textbook trying to find out why sociology was treated as a separate discipline and how it differs fundamentally from the other social sciences. I learned a lot about Weber and Durkheim, but I still don't get it. Can you help? [more inside]
posted by StrikeTheViol on Sep 11, 2007 - 12 answers

Where does the story that some indigenous/aboriginal tribespeople refuse to have their photographs taken because they're afraid it will steal/eat/capture their souls come from? Is it totally apocryphal or is there something approaching a canonical primary source?
posted by juv3nal on Jul 10, 2007 - 15 answers

I'm looking for any historical or anthropological studies of fiction. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by Ms. Saint on Jun 21, 2007 - 14 answers

Is there academic research that claims that viewing of advertising material a ritual of genderization? [more inside]
posted by bilabial on Apr 28, 2007 - 25 answers

Throughout my life, I've had to learn social interaction as if I were a Martian anthropologist... consciously studying, taking notes, and practicing. A few years ago, I finally cracked "how to make friends" and seemingly overnight, I started making real connections. It was amazing. But now, from experience and from talking to my all-too-quickly growing posse of close female friends (most of whom I wished could have been more than that), I'm learning that the way you interact with someone you're interested in isn't as simple as having a great friend that you make out with like there's no tomorrow. There are subtle, maybe very simple, but essential things that separate lovers from pals. I need you to tell me-- in the most literal terms possible-- what those things are. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 20, 2007 - 39 answers

Were Native American men (before any intermingling with other peoples) really unable to grow facial hair? [more inside]
posted by Jess the Mess on Feb 11, 2007 - 15 answers

how does it feel to have your period? [more inside]
posted by krautland on Oct 19, 2006 - 96 answers

why do you wear makeup? [more inside]
posted by krautland on Sep 27, 2006 - 97 answers

What's the difference between "society" and "culture"? [more inside]
posted by imposster on Sep 24, 2006 - 5 answers

What were some of the most idyllic communities to have ever existed? I’m not looking for opinions, I’m looking for hard anthropological examples or studies that have been carried out on such cultures. [more inside]
posted by heylight on Aug 29, 2006 - 9 answers

What sort of career options would one have with a bachelor's degree in anthropology? [more inside]
posted by mrhaydel on Jul 21, 2006 - 21 answers

Where can I find more writing about metaphor? I vaguely remember reading something about how, when machines became ubiquitous, people began understanding their lives in terms of machines. I'm looking for that sort of thing. [more inside]
posted by Aghast. on May 19, 2006 - 21 answers

what are some good theoretical works on the concepts of love, monogamy, and so forth? [more inside]
posted by yonation on Apr 30, 2006 - 15 answers

DreamWithMe filter: What if everyone read science fiction? How would the world be different? [more inside]
posted by amtho on Apr 7, 2006 - 27 answers

Gravity/Life/SocietyFilter: So the Earth is all lumpy, with more or less gravity in some places. Has anyone ever corroborated it with life/social/world things? Many questions inside... [more inside]
posted by amberglow on Feb 18, 2006 - 33 answers

How can anthropologists contribute to the answering of questions about the brain and consciousness in the 21st century? [more inside]
posted by eighth_excerpt on Feb 14, 2006 - 8 answers

In the U.S., we get all caught up in the decisions that adult women make and the consequences of those decisions. (To have children, not to have children, to work, to stay home with the children, not to work, to marry, to have children without marrying, etc.) Are there similar convulsions about these cultural issues in other countries, especially non-English speaking ones? How can I learn about them? I'm curious both about how women's roles in in their societies are changing and about how those societies are reacting to the changes.
posted by croutonsupafreak on Nov 30, 2005 - 6 answers

I have about 200 of these notebooks. I've been thinking about starting a project, maybe something similar to the Wandering Moleskine Project, but I don't know what. What kind of fun/interesting things can I do with them? [more inside]
posted by SoulOnIce on Nov 17, 2005 - 7 answers

Can anyone recommend some good books on Indian (particularly South Indian) culture/history/politics/etc? [more inside]
posted by introcosm on Jul 28, 2005 - 8 answers

What does japan smell like? [more inside]
posted by delmoi on Mar 29, 2005 - 20 answers