Canada is seeking to move towards a new kind of reconciliation with its First Nations. But what does it mean to speak of the “best interests” of the vulnerable?
An anthropologist's day in "The Jungle", the patch of land in Calais that brings shame to British and French governance
Life in the furthest recesses of New Guinea has not only been transformed but devastated by forces that originate at the core of global and industrial politics. The realities – and morality – of our world are to be seen starkly at work in one of the most spectacular, rich and yet remote corners of
What is the basis of the Tuareg-Gaddafi alliance that is playing itself out in the end-game in Libya? And to what extent is our understanding coloured by how we like to think of this tribe of the Sahara, or perhaps how they have been used in other peoples’ narratives – including our own?
In July, in much of Botswana, there is no real heat in the sun. The nights close in at 6pm, the air fills with sudden and surprising dankness that clutches
War creates curious kinds of invitations to anthropology. In the early days of the Iraq invasion, many newspapers published commentaries about the nature and character of war. Lurking behind such
Think of a small town in rural Australia. Here are a few streets of attractive and comfortable houses, a large park, some hotels a beautiful place with a strong tourist
In my first column From the edge I wrote about the death of Elsie Vaalboi, the Khomani San elder who came to represent the Bushman land claim in South Africa
San woman and child. Photo by Hulmut GriesMany who live at the margins of the colonial world have witnessed a process called land claims. Indigenous peoples, their lands taken from
Here are some thoughts suggested by Roger Scrutons article Landscape: the view of the hunters and the farmers . In effect, Scrutons essay explores the hunter who is hidden
Atanarjuat running
The sea ice is vast, still, open
A few dogs and one man are a vulnerable thread of life in this immense and harsh-looking world. Three other men
For thirty years, Hugh Brody has lived, worked with and reported on hunter-gatherers. His work is an attempt to communicate the profound difference of their way of life from urban