All posts by Samuel Rolfe

TOWARDS DYSTOPIAN DEMOCRACIES IN EUROPE AND THE USA? FROM PREJUDICE IN IMMIGRATION POLICIES TO MASS SURVEILLANCE IN COUNTERTERRORISM OPERATIONS

Conference, Talks

A sub-Saharan migrant sits on top of a pole set in a metallic fence that divides Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. © Santi Palacios

OCTOBER 22, 2015, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
New York University
Lipton Hall
108 West Third Street, New York, NY 10012

RSVP to vd526@nyu.edu by October 20.

From the conference bulletin: “Developments of democracy in Europe and the USA have followed mutually influencing paths over the past two centuries. From the declarations of rights to the establishment of democratic institutions after WWII, these regions have built their governments on the foundation of human rights protection. These foundations have now been weakened by the responses to a number of challenges, in particular immigration and counter-terrorism. The influx of migrants and asylum-seekers, from Africa and the Middle East to Europe and from Central and Latin America to the USA, are being met with a combination of repressive measures: walls and fences, naval military operations, laws criminalizing undocumented immigration, racial profiling, insufficient integration policies, to mention a few. Populist and xenophobic parties have fuelled racist resentment towards Muslims and immigrants in general and have encouraged hate speech and crimes. At the same time, the USA and Europe are increasingly engaging in counter-terrorism operations in a way which is straining the democratic fabric of our society. Some of these measures have a disproportionate impact on ethnic and religious minorities, thus further polarizing societies. Governments and policy makers, claiming the incompatibility of security with human rights protection, are adopting laws and policies, which increase the powers of security services without guaranteeing the checks and balances necessary in a democracy. Ultimately, such policies contribute to the erosion of democratic core values on both sides of the Atlantic and play in the hands of populist parties and of those who promote antidemocratic causes.

For more information about this conference, please download this promotional flyer.

Scott Williams and Myra Laird Contribute to Discovery of Homo naledi

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HomoNaledi

From an NYU Press Release by James Devitt: “An international research team, which includes NYU anthropologists Scott Williams and Myra Laird, has discovered a new species of a human relative. Homo naledi, uncovered in a cave outside of Johannesburg, South Africa, sheds light on the diversity of our genus and possibly its origin.

‘“This discovery is unprecedented in the sheer number of hominins collected from such a small area in the virtual absence of other animal remains,” says Williams, an assistant professor in NYU’s Department of Anthropology. “That makes this site unique. Moreover, the announcement describes only the tip of the iceberg of analyses that will come, and we hope that is also true of the cave itself and the material that it still holds.”’

Williams worked at the excavation identifying and processing the material as it came out of the cave. In addition, both Williams and Laird attended a 2014 workshop, in which scholars from around the world traveled to Johannesburg to carry out studies on the fossils. At the gathering, Williams led the study of the axial skeleton, which included the vertebrae and ribs, while Laird, a doctoral candidate, worked on the skulls”

This discovery is profoundly important for the field of physical anthropology and the study of human origins. Congratulations to Scott, Myra, and their colleagues!

Internship Opportunity

Anthropology in NYC, Graduate Students, Jobs/Internships, Undergraduate Students

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The Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics is seeking editorial and production interns for its digital publications, including its online journal, emisférica, and its digital book series.

emisférica is the Institute’s biannual, peer-reviewed journal, and is edited by Jill Lane, Marcial Godoy-Anativia, and occasional invited editors. The journal publishes essays and multimedia presentations by artists, activists, and scholars, as well as reviews of books, performances, and films.

The Institute’s digital books are developed on the digital publication platform Scalar and Tome, depending on the contents and the specific needs of the authors. Scalar titles include What is Performance Studies? and Holy Terrors, among others. Recent releases on Tome include Six Gestures by Peter Kulchyski and Villa Grimaldi by Diana Taylor.

During 2015-2016 we will publish two issues of the journal (on the themes of “States of Devotion: Religion, Neoliberalism, Biopolitics” and “Migration”), as well as several digital books.

The following internships are available for the academic year:

Editorial/translation Interns (2 positions available)

We seek interns to assist with editorial production and translation. Advanced knowledge of spoken and written Spanish and/or Portuguese is required. Duties will include copy editing and proofreading articles, transcribing videos, translating titles, abstracts, subtitles and bios from/to English, Spanish and/or Portuguese, as well as formatting, and assisting with other aspects of digital publication and web content creation.

Web production Interns (1 position available)

We seek web production interns to work with our Managing Editor and web design team in production of our online publications. Duties will include the creation of content pages, the preparation and uploading of text and images and video, as well as other production duties. Interns will be trained in Joomla!, as well as in the platforms used for our digital books. Basic knowledge of digital imaging and HTML is preferred. Applicants should have some experience using content management systems (Joomla! WordPress, etc) to develop web content; as well as experience in multimedia content creation (image and video galleries), basic knowledge of XHTML, CSS and Adobe Photoshop. Basic programming skills and some knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese are also preferred.

Internships require a commitment of 7-10 hours per week.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume/CV to hemi.internships@nyu.edu outlining your interest in the position and any relevant experience. Applications must be received no later than Monday, September 21, 2015.