This is a paper that I wrote for a Ph.D. course: Nature and Capitalism. I’ve been sitting on it and I don’t think I am going to do anything else with it. It’s a bit long but I figured this is the place to put it. In Speaker for the Dead (1986)—the sequel to the…
Category: Blog
Adventures with Peccaries pt. 2
I spent time out in the Hill Country, north of San Antonio ,Texas. The clan that I worked with on this trip was made up of 8 total members (4 adults, 2 subadults, and 2 juveniles). I worked on top a hill to determine their home site and bedding patterns. I also tracked them around…
Adventures with Peccaries: pt. 1
I am currently in the early stages of designing a multispecies project working with the Cofán, an Indigenous people of Amazonian Ecuador, and two species of peccaries (white-lipped and collared) that inhabit the forest. Peccaries are medium-sized artiodactyls that superficially resemble pigs. However, these are American originals! They differ in many substantial ways from pigs,…
A Tale of Two Snakes
Upon entering the warmest room in our house, we are greeted with the subtle smell of earth. In this room is a 36″X18″X12″ bioactive habitat with two small garter snakes (a blue-sided garter snake and valley garter snake). Most people in the USA have seen a garter snake of some sort as they are widely…
Cain and Abel: A Reflection on Coronavirus
The story of Cain and Abel from the Christian Holy Bible is common knowledge but to recap. Cain and Abel both offer sacrifices to God: Cain offering produce and Abel offering livestock. God favored Abel’s offering and in a fit of jealousy, Cain murders his brother. When God asks Cain where his brother is, Cain…
Upcoming Pilot Research
As of today I have submitted all of the required paperwork (IACUC, Occupational Health, Special Use Permit Application) . I will be collecting data on behavior and the use of space by collared peccaries/javelinas (Tayassu tajacu) at Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge. This pilot study will support a larger research project in Ecuador on multispecies relations…
Scattered Thoughts in a Crisis
The world has taken notice that the United States of America is in crisis. In solidarity with the plight of Black Americans, protests have cropped up in many other countries. Black Americans and their allies are currently under assault by militarized police at the direction of the state. I am having a hard time articulating…
Revisiting the Past: Some Thoughts on the UNCC Shooting
Today is April 27, 2020. April 30 will mark one year since a gunman walked into my LBST 2213 class on the last day of the semester. I’ve written about the experience and ideas and insights in the subsequent months and was featured in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. This last year…
Now on Youtube
You can visit my YouTube channel: Anthropology 365. I am currently working on content that covers a field examination of the use of anthropogenic (human-made) spaces by reptiles and amphibians. I plan to also include anthropological discussions and other fieldwork in the future.
COVID-19 and the Failure of Neoliberalism in the Face of Crisis
We are firmly set in the middle of a global pandemic at the moment. As it currently stands, the World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting just under 300,000 confirmed cases and 13,000 deaths as of March 22 with no sign of slowing down. This pandemic has demonstrated severe flaws in the system in the United…
