All stories
Europe’s Destructive Spirals of Distrust
An ideological deadlock between nativism and Islamism, resulting in an escalating spiral of destructive distrust, is threatening the cohesion of European societies.
How Real Are You on Facebook?
Carefully consider who you connect with on social media. Best friends and acquaintances alike contribute to your identity.
Finding Our Way Forward—by Remembering
In a personal essay, a mixed-race and Native anthropologist draws strength from his ancestors.
What Pots Say—and Don’t Say—About People
Archaeologists long abandoned the simple notion that “pots are people”—that people’s identities directly correspond with the pottery they made and used. What, then, can ceramics reveal about past lives?
Transracial Adoption and the Limits of Love
A Korean adoptee and anthropologist reflects on how studying kinship made her rethink her own fraught family bonds.
Confronting Anti-Blackness in “Colorblind” Cuba
In the 1960s, Fidel Castro’s revolutionary Communist government claimed to have eradicated racism in Cuba. An anthropologist explores how racial hierarchies persist despite these official narratives, shaping family dynamics and significantly limiting opportunities for Afro-Cubans.
How Black Caribbean Communities Are Reviving an Ancestral Dance Tradition
An interview with anthropologist Camee Maddox-Wingfield explores how practitioners of bèlè on the island of Martinique find agency, healing, and connection.
Why Are Languages Worth Preserving?
As UNESCO brings urgent awareness to Indigenous languages this year, a linguist considers whether saving languages is sentimental or critical.
How Names Tell Stories of Loss and Resilience
Bhutanese Nepali refugee communities in the United States have embraced an approach to identity that reflects their unique heritage and underscores the power of choosing their own labels.
Do Clothes Make a Messiah?
A historian explores how Jesus’ dress was simple—and probably scruffy. There's a reason this still matters.
The Nachtwinkels of Antwerp
In Belgium, neighborhood convenience stores run by immigrants and ethnic minorities are facing prejudice and fines. But these shops are a vital part of a city in flux.
Ten Skeletons Bury a Right-Wing Talking Point
Contrary to some popular beliefs, today’s British population does not descend from one Anglo-Saxon heritage.
A Lens on Cyprus Reunification
An anthropologist walks around the circumference of this Mediterranean island, photographing people separated by political conflict and reflecting on the ties that bind divided communities.
Kamala Harris’ Refusal of the One-Drop Rule
Vice President Harris’ views on her identity are pushing the U.S. public to look beyond entrenched, problematic racial boundaries.
Speaking in Tongues
A scholar from Nagaland in India offers visceral, familial insights on language and culture loss in her Indigenous tribal community.
Rhyme & Reason: Poetry as a Cultural and Communal Bridge
In this Q&A, SAPIENS 2022 Poet-in-Residence Jason Vasser-Elong celebrated the end of his residency with a discussion of poetry as a dialogue across the ages.
