Something I wrote for an assessment in my MA programme has just been published on the SOAS blog, and I wanted to share a little of how it came to exist, because pieces of writing rarely arrive fully formed. The essay — Beyond plug-and-play: Sustainability as a relational practice — began with
Last week’s classes had me reflecting on a pattern across seemingly unrelated domains - immigration policy, corporate sustainability, anti-trafficking laws - where interventions designed to help actually intensify the vulnerability of those they claim to protect. I don’t think these are accidents. I think they’re features of
Last week, I was reading a 2018 article by Sophie Chao detailing the relationship of the Marind people of West Papua with sawit (oil palm). I 'know' about the situation in West Papua, very generally, but reading the words, the dreams, the nightmares of the Marind people…well,
This week’s adventures in anthropology have taken me on a journey through the history of the 19th and 20th centuries, following the lives of coal, oil and borders. I’ve visited Dominica to learn about paternity, a small Malay fishing community to hear stories about food and kin-making, and
Automated graves in Japan. The contested funeral rites of trans-women in Turkey. Decolonising migration studies, and disentangling racism and migratism. The meanings of conflict, violence and peace. Whether humans are ‘natural warriors’. Critiques of the name and date of the Anthropocene. Uranium isotopes and mining in Gabon. Banana-boring beetles and
Last week, I embarked on an MA in Anthropology of Global Futures and Sustainability at SOAS, University of London. It’s a bit of a mouthful, isn’t it? And if I’m completely honest, I’m not sure I can tell you what it means. I’m going to