Category Archives: Feature

Craving comfort: bonding with food across cultures

Food is a universal human experience. People everywhere must eat to survive, yet what foods are eaten and how they are enjoyed can vary widely across cultures and time. “Comfort foods” made a comeback in…

Teferi Adem reflects on his experience as a Fulbright Scholar

My Fulbright Experience to Ethiopia, 2022-23 by Teferi Abate Adem, HRAF Research Anthropologist Conducting follow-up extensive ethnographic fieldwork in the Wollo area of Ethiopia has been a deeply felt dream of mine over the last…

Nascent Worlds: a journey of cultural discovery

Nascent Worlds, a teaching exercise by digital anthropologist Dr. Francine Barone, is a build-your-own-culture learning activity. Designed with introductory socio-cultural anthropology classes in mind, it incorporates all four fields of anthropology (physical anthropology, linguistic anthropology,…

Thanks, but no thanks: Expressions of gratitude in eHRAF World Cultures

During the end-of-year “holiday season” throughout much of the Western world, we are often reminded to be grateful for the things that we have, and even to go out of our way to be gracious…

Royal Anthropological Institute Conference in London Recap

HRAF was pleased to attend the Anthropology and Education conference in London hosted by the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI). The conference took place at Senate House, University of London from June 25 to 28, 2024.…

An Anthropology of Dads: Exploring fatherhood in eHRAF

Francine Barone 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…

Towards an Anthropology of Fear: are some things universally terrifying?

As All Hallow’s Eve approaches, it’s once again the time of year for ghastly ghouls, wicked witches and terrifying things that go bump in the night. From haunted houses to headless horsemen, there are many…