Sarah Shulist is a linguistic anthropologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Queen’s University, located on the territory of the Anishnaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples in what is currently called Ontario, Canada. Her work focuses on the social and political dimensions of Indigenous language revitalization.
Over the weekend, several anthropologist called attention to this research report produced by Princeton University (link to full report here). The headline touts the research with the claim that “Machine Learning reveals role of culture in shaping the meaning of words”. My response, and that of many others, was immediately snarky – we didn’t particularly …
This post is Part 2 in a short series covering some of my thoughts on a recent story about University of Alberta professor Kathleen Lowrey, whose “gender critical” views were central to her being removed from a departmental service role. For the details of the event itself, see Part 1. One curious aspect about the …
While The-Author-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named has been the most prominent example of a public figure going all-in on a so-called “gender critical” argument that works to essentially justify transphobia, over here in the tiny world of academic anthropology, we have had our own example. Happy Pride Month, y’all. The background on this story concerns Kathleen Lowrey, a tenured …
+ Read More Academic labour and academic freedom: What does it mean to be ‘fired’?
I had a different first post in mind when I agreed to come on board to write for anthrodendum. I think we all had many different things in mind back in January and February, and instead, we are thinking about something entirely different. I am a linguistic anthropologist. I look at language, at what it …
+ Read More When all there are is words for experiences that are too big for words