Free AccessNobodies and somebodies: Power, bureaucracy, and citizenship in a London rehousing hub
Free AccessNobodies and somebodies: Power, bureaucracy, and citizenship in a London rehousing hub This article draws on ethnographic research to examine the bureaucratic matrix of temporal, material, and legal scales…
The alienating inalienable: Rethinking Annette Weiner’s concept of inalienable wealth through Japan’s “sleeping kimono”
The alienating inalienable: Rethinking Annette Weiner’s concept of inalienable wealth through Japan’s “sleeping kimono” Based on twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork in Japan, this article focuses on collections of gifted…
Experiencing presence: An interactive model of perception
Experiencing presence: An interactive model of perception This essay brings literature in experimental psychology and visual perception into conversation with psychological anthropology to propose a new theory of presence. We…
Hybrid warfare in Brazil: The highest stage of the military insurgency
Hybrid warfare in Brazil: The highest stage of the military insurgency Since 2013, Brazil has undergone various moments of political turbulence, ultimately culminating in the seizure of power by the…
When ethics runs counter to morals
When ethics runs counter to morals In the present conjuncture, Brazilian social anthropologists are facing a major challenge to their work. I suggest that this happens because of anthropology’s central…
“A mad exuberance”: The globalization of luxury
“A mad exuberance”: The globalization of luxury The issue of the circulation of luxury commodities and of the evolution through which it is going becomes fully meaningful when addressed within…
Consuming belief: Luxury, authenticity, and Chinese patronage of Tibetan Buddhism in contemporary China
Consuming belief: Luxury, authenticity, and Chinese patronage of Tibetan Buddhism in contemporary China This essay examines two domains in which wealthy Chinese seek to cultivate social distinction. The first section…
Pedagogies of value: Marketing luxury in China
Pedagogies of value: Marketing luxury in China In just a few years, China has become one of the world’s largest markets for Western luxury products. Marketing professionals play a key…
Flesh, bones, and spirits
Flesh, bones, and spirits Go to Source
Ethnographic views of Brazil’s (new) authoritarian turn
Ethnographic views of Brazil’s (new) authoritarian turn In this introduction to Currents, we argue for the potential of ethnography to aid in understanding the present. Extended periods of fieldwork allow…
“The revolution we are living”
“The revolution we are living” This article presents three ethnographic scenes extracted from Brazilian urban life, the earliest dating from 2013. It reflects on the rise of the extreme right…
From hope to hate: The rise of conservative subjectivity in Brazil
From hope to hate: The rise of conservative subjectivity in Brazil This essay focuses on the voters of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro in Morro da Cruz, a low-income community in…
The broken wave: Evangelicals and conservatism in the Brazilian crisis
The broken wave: Evangelicals and conservatism in the Brazilian crisis The article examines the articulation between Evangelicals and conservatism in the Brazilian scenario since widespread street demonstrations erupted in June…
Structural Inequality, Homelessness, and Moral Worth: Salvaging the Self through Sport?
Structural Inequality, Homelessness, and Moral Worth: Salvaging the Self through Sport? Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Ahead of Print. This urban ethnography explores how a group of men experiencing homelessness collectively…
Punishing Fieldwork: Penal Domination and Prison Ethnography
Punishing Fieldwork: Penal Domination and Prison Ethnography Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Ahead of Print. Ethnographic studies inside prisons are especially difficult to execute. In addition to facing amplified challenges in…
“Church Is Important to Our Clients”: Autonomy, Community, and Religious Expression within a Long-term Care Organization
“Church Is Important to Our Clients”: Autonomy, Community, and Religious Expression within a Long-term Care Organization Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Ahead of Print. Autonomy and selfhood are primary concerns for…
Practices of Writing in Ethnographic Work
Practices of Writing in Ethnographic Work Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Ahead of Print. Although the practice of writing is key to the production of ethnographic knowledge, the topic remains understudied.…
Talking Shit, Egos, and Tough Skin: Humor Among Elite Black Men
Talking Shit, Egos, and Tough Skin: Humor Among Elite Black Men Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Ahead of Print. Extant research considers humor integral to the Black experience. Previous work on…
Features and form: Appropriating digital storytelling for public ethnography
Features and form: Appropriating digital storytelling for public ethnography Ethnography, Ahead of Print. Ethnography may have a unique capacity to capture the attention of non-academic publics, but if it remains…
Gendered Governmentalities and Neoliberal Logics: Latina, Immigrant Women in Healthcare and Social Services
Gendered Governmentalities and Neoliberal Logics: Latina, Immigrant Women in Healthcare and Social Services Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Ahead of Print. This ethnographic research with Latina, immigrant mothers and health care…