"No matter how artful the photographer, no matter how carefully posed his subject, the beholder feels an irresistable urge to search such a picture for the tiny spark of contingency, of the here and now, with which reality has (so to speak) seared the subject, to find the inconspicuous spot where in the immediacy of … Continue reading Walter Benjamin on the Allure of the Photobomb
Tag: anthropology
A few telling moments from the May 1st General Strike protest in Union Square. My original photos, please attribute if using.
“Will you or won't you have it so?” is the most probing question we are ever asked; we are asked it every hour of the day, and about the largest as well as the smallest, the most theoretical as well as the most practical, things. We answer by consents or non-consents and not by words. What wonder … Continue reading William James on the “Like” Button
“Right now there are more people on Facebook than there were on the planet 200 years ago”-opening line of Kony 2012 film. KONY 2012 is a benchmark phenomenon in the history of social media and political activism. A kind of descendent of the Occupy movement and Arab Spring - both grassroots political movements fueled by … Continue reading KONY 2012: An Anthropological Perspective (TO BE CONTINUED)
These beautiful street photos were taken by my dear friend Franco Gatto Bellora, largely in 35mm black and white film, and largely on the streets of New York City. Each one tells a story, yet also is surrounded by a large crowd of unsuspecting passerby- making the viewer feel very much like a casual witness … Continue reading Flâneur Photography by Franco Gatto
The following is an excerpt from a paper I wrote for my phenomenology class last year about the virtual and the real. I conducted about fifteen in-depth interviews on the general topic of "the Internet", trying to get people to reveal their biases and narrative methods of talking about the Internet, and also trying to … Continue reading #theinternet: A Phenomenology of the Virtual and the Real (Part 1)
A few suggestions for your anthropology-related entertainment: Life in A Day, a crowdsourced documentary depicting life on July 24th, 2010. It is available for instant play on Netflix (and note how many reviewers give harsh reviews for the graphic content this film contains. I think this goes to show just how little people know or … Continue reading Anthropology and Film
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