The following section lists some articles recently published in British and North American newspapers (such as The Guardian, The Times and The Globe and Mail) that mention anthropology or anthropologists’ work. To facilitate use of these articles, they are categorised by subject matter or specialist area within the discipline.
Newspaper articles are a very valuable teaching and learning resource. They provide not only useful information, but also insight into how people outside the discipline view and communicate about anthropology, and more broadly, the multiple factors involved in determining which anthropological topics come to be covered in the public media.
New articles are continually being added to this page. If you come across a newspaper article you would like to see added here, please email the Education officer at education@therai.org.uk
Academia
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/science/10anthropology.html – an article about the restructuring of the American Anthropology Association’s ‘long term plan’ for the discipline(published 2010).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/jul/17/highereducationprofile.academicexperts– an article about Professor Melissa Leach’s research and the importance of ethnographic research (published in 2007).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/feb/07/highereducationprofile.academicexperts – an interview with anthropologist Professor Caroline Humphrey about her life and research (published in 2006).
Art
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2012/jun/25/origin-artists-humans-art-neanderthals?INTCMP=SRCH
– an article exploring human evolution and the origins of the human production of art. (published in 2012)
Biological Anthropology
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/aug/14/study-doubt-human-neanderthal-interbreeding?INTCMP=SRCH
-an article revealing how a recent study by Cambridge scientists casts doubts on the human-Neanderthal interbreeding theory. (published in 2012)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/sep/01/1 – a video on the interbreeding between neanderthals and humans by Professor Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany (published 2011).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/aug/31/hand-axes-oldest-advanced-stone-tools -an article which looks at a recent discovery of hand tools in Kenya which suggests early humans were wielding sophisticated stone tools at least 300,000 years earlier than thought. (published 2011)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jul/27/higher-latitudes-bigger-eyes-brains – an article which looks at human evolution and environmental adaptation in higher latitudes (published 2011).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5364630.stm – an article about the discovery of a skeleton from a species thought to be a precursor to the first true humans (published in 2006).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4674866.stm – an article about the infertility of Oetzi, the prehistoric man frozen in a glacier for 5300 years (published in 2006).
Careers
https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2023/sep/09/best-uk-universities-for-anthropology-archaeology-league-table – an article which ranks universities teaching anthropology (published 2023).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/aug/21/anthropology-degree-career-options – an article that provides insight into the types of careers available to students of anthropology (published 2010).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/01/universityguide.anthropology – an article which looks at choosing anthropology as a university subject (published 2008).
Ceremonies and Rituals
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6217502.stm – an article about the importance of the Saisiyat people’s legend and ritual ceremony (published in 2006).
Conservation
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/03/yosemite-conservation-indigenous-people – an article about the mutual respect between conservationists and indigenous people in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains (published in 2009).
Economics
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/23/kula-traders-new-guinea-financial-markets?INTCMP=SRCH
-an article that demonstrates how anthropological research on different economic systems help to analyse neoliberal financial models. (published in 2012)
Ethnomusicology (Anthropology and Music)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jan/24/popandrock-worldmusic/print – an article about a student of anthropology who became a music producer (published in 2009).
Fieldwork and Research
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3645594.stm – an article about an anthropologist’s research in Madagascar and his experiences writing for the President (published in 2004).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/feb/14/academicexperts.highereducation – an article about anthropologist Professor Jean Ensminger and her work with Kenyan nomads (published in 2006).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/21/john-campbell-obituary – an article about anthropologist Professor John Campbell who carried out fieldwork in Greece from the mid-50s (published in 2009).
Medical Anthropology and Health
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/jan/30/drug-companies-join-tropical-diseases
– Anthropologists Tim Allen and Melissa Parker voice certain criticisms over Bill Gates pledge to get pharmaceutical giants to promise drug mass giveaways to combat tropical diseases. (published in 2012)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120808132711.htm
-an article which discusses new research on fossil teeth that sheds light on the diet of predecessors of early Homo. (published in 2012)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/science/disease-diagnosed-in-500-year-old-mummy.html?_r=1&ref=archaeologyandanthropology
An article about anthropologists who diagnosed a bacterial lung infection on a mummy of an Incan girl found in Argentina, dated to be 500 years old (published in 2012)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3095666.stm
Anthropologist Melissa Parker talks about her research studying sexual networks and HIV transmission amongst disaffected gay men in London. (published in 2007)
Race and Ethnicity
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/apr/20/science.media – an article about the planning of the Planet Earth film series (published in 2007).
Sports
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/jul/23/sports-hijabs-muslim-women-olympics?INTCMP=SRCH
-an article which explores how changes in rules and sportswear are inspiring more Muslim women to compete in international sport. (published in 2012)
Visual Anthropology
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/mar/14/television – an article about the anthropologist and filmmaker Kim Longinotto (published in 2006).
