Cast iron cookware has a weird...almost mythological status. I don’t mean that to be dramatic, it’s just that they’d always seemed somehow on the periphery of my awareness, up on this pedestal of magical cooking savvy. Every so often a friend would be cooking with one and I’d wonder what the fuss was about. I … Continue reading Crazy for Cast Iron
anthropology
As the Year of the Apocalypse Comes to a Close
So this year has been a wild ride. It started with incredibly high hopes, which were then dashed as pretty much the entire world ground to a halt in the wake of COVID 19. Going into this year I had intended to hit the ground running with podcast episodes that would be easy to record … Continue reading As the Year of the Apocalypse Comes to a Close
So Why Cemeteries?
A brief overview of my growing interest in Rhode Island’s myriad historical cemeteries and how it marries my research to critically needed volunteer work
History has a Life of Its Own.
So as you may know, I’ve been researching the institution of slavery in Rhode Island, and more broadly in the northern United States. What started with the grave of Adjua D’Wolf being in pitiful condition grew into the desire to try and flesh out a bit about her life. I’d read in a few sources … Continue reading History has a Life of Its Own.
Two Hungry Trees and a Fun Mystery
A mystery surrounding a headstone being eaten by trees to me fits perfectly with what is known about Colonial New England society.
The Histories We Choose
It probably surprises few people besides myself that I’m fairly involved with local history. As an anthropologist, I’m perpetually of the view that all history is local, and that local history is global. However, also as an anthropologist, I’m also well aware that the history we celebrate is a choice, and often one that wasn’t … Continue reading The Histories We Choose
What Even is 2020?
In the strangest year we've seen in a very, very long time, I reflect on how Anthrospin has been impacted, and what to expect going forward (hint: it's a lot)
When it Comes to Understanding the Past, the Future is Lookin’ Pretty Crappy (that’s a good thing)
Briefly going into a bit more detail about the work of Taryn Johnson, we learn more about how anthropologists reconstruct our past
The Weird World of Word Order—or—The Tip of the Iceberg
As we delve deeper into learning Hawaiian, it helps to understand some basic linguistic concepts to help bridge the gap of why the language is so “weird.”
What to do When Your Language Dies
The death of language is terrifying and real. We can help.
Everyday Anthropology 