anthropology

Review of The Devil’s Historians: How Modern Extremists Abuse the Medieval Past

I recently read The Devil’s Historians and I cannot praise this book highly enough. The only reason I give it two thumbs up is because I lack more thumbs. This book is a brilliant analysis of how people use history to craft extremist narratives, and it uses plain language,  rather than academic jargon, to explain… Read more Review of The Devil’s Historians: How Modern Extremists Abuse the Medieval Past

Biology is Not Gender

Gender is a culturally negotiated process. A child is born sexed (or more rarely, intersexed), but only acculturation can ascribe gender. The child learns to behave in the manner associated with his/her biological sex, either  masculine or feminine, in accordance with sociocultural praxis. Gender, like biological sex, has also historically been constructed by Western culture… Read more Biology is Not Gender

Medieval Folklore of Stones

Last summer my family and I took a trip to Cornwall (which is gorgeous), and while there we discovered the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. It was both fun and informative, which is what I like from both museums and tourist attractions, so I can recommend it. Of course, as someone who writes nonfiction history,… Read more Medieval Folklore of Stones

The White Fragility About White Privilege

I had an epiphany about certain cultural realities almost 20 years ago. At the time, I was newly married, in grad school studying medical anthropology, and living in Dallas, TX. I had been reading copious amounts of scholarly works about ethnicity and culture. I had been trying to explain habitus and systemic racism to undergraduates… Read more The White Fragility About White Privilege