The Return of the Comparative Method in Anthropology
Where Have All the Comparisons Gone?, a recently published series from the Society for Cultural Anthropology, revisits a longstanding topic in the social sciences: the debate over the value of comparative cultural studies. In this…
HRAF at Yale University Announces Community College Initiative
The Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) at Yale University is pleased to announce a new initiative to expand our engagement with community colleges. The HRAF Community College Initiative recognizes the important role of community colleges…
The Social Life of Cheese
There are few signifiers of culture more potent and recognizable than food. Edibles and cultural identity share a deep-seated connection. Food, and especially our preferences for preparing, cooking and eating it, are about far more…
An Anthropology of Dads: Exploring fatherhood in eHRAF
Are fathers and “fatherhood” underrepresented as a subject of inquiry in anthropology? According to evolutionary anthropologist Anna Machin, up until 10 years ago, fatherhood was neglected by researchers “due to the misguided assumption that it…
Celebrating 70 Years
HRAF turns 70 years old this month! The Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) celebrated its official 70th birthday on May 7, 2019, but its origins go back much longer than that. In the 1930s, an…
eHRAF Highlights
Sexuality – A New Topical Summary for Explaining Human Culture
A new topical summary on Sexuality is now available in Explaining Human Culture, our open access database that summarizes the results of…
Food Anthropology on Television: Ethnographic Culinary Adventures
Today, popular television shows featuring ethnographic culinary adventures bring food…
The Wild World of Cat Beliefs
Jeffrey Vadala Recently, genetic studies have shown that cats have…
HRAF research anthropologist elected to SAS executive board
Ian Skoggard, research anthropologist with the Human Relations Area Files…