The Emic - Anthropological stories from the field
Episodes
18: Jason De León on having more in common with smugglers than he had ever imagined
17 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Emic, the podcast where anthropologists share a moment from their fieldwork in which they truly took on an emic perspective – seeing...
17: Tim Ingold on seeing like a reindeer
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the autumn of 1971, when he just turned 23 years old, Tim was living in a tiny wooden cabin on the shores of lake Rautaperajärvi, in the far nor...
16: Gego (Muhammad Ashry Sallatu) on diving into blue water & big fears
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Gego (that's what Muhammad is called by his friends) conducted his PhD-fieldwork in Indonesia, he entered multiple new worlds: the world of anthr...
15: Giovanna Parmigiani on paganism, magical cards and sisterhood
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Giovanna talks about a moment in her fieldwork that she returns to often. A quiet moment shared with women that would become her sist...
14: Willem van Schendel on embarrassing dinners
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While conducting fieldwork in Bangladesh, renowned anthropologist and historian Willem van Schendel found himself at a dinner invitation. Initially a...
13: Rahil Roodsaz on the unexpected dresscode of a religious gathering
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Rahil was invited by her Iranian interlocutors to a religious gathering for women, she dressed to the occasion - or so she thought. But then she ...
12: Roanne on the Inuit parenting advice that changed everything
27 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Emic, Roanne shares her experiences as a young anthropologist conducting fieldwork in Greenland, where she lived among Inui...
11: Klaus Hoeyer on data paradoxes
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes, the places in which we live appear to be exotic, if we learn to look at them in a new way. Professor Klaus Hoeyer rediscovered his own coun...
10: Beatrice Bonami on Invisible Technology and Birds in the Brazilian Amazon
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When the Brazilian educator and anthropologist Beatrice Bonami traveled to the Amazon to study how Indigenous and local peoples perceived the future a...
9: Tina Harris on What Pilots Do When Technology Fails, and Why Cows Matter in Aviation
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Anthropologist Tina Harris studies aviation - flying - in countries like Nepal, where landing strips are short and the weather can change quickly from...
8: Danielle Braun about the scarf as a secret handshake
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Danielle went to Iran to investigate the relationship between carpetmakers and their bias but learned something completely different: how to utilize t...
7: Roanne on the immorality of waiting, or how technology impacts our morals
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
During fieldwork in hospitals, Roanne discovers that technology is not just impacting the way in which we experience time, but also the extent to whic...
6: Miguel Gómez Hernández on why designers are all wrong about elderly housing
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Spanish design anthropologist Miguel Gómez Hernández went to Australia to investigate how industry experts envision the future designs of houses for...
5: Ludo van der Gun on drinking water when the Gods are watching
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How does one drink riverwater in a way that is sustainable? Not in the way a thirsty anthropologist, traveling on a steppe does. Hint: the right way i...
4: Danielle Braun on how a fight in the bar taught her why police don't snitch
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why don't police officers report each other to their managers, even in cases of misconduct or behavior that deserves to be reported? That was one of t...
3: Roanne on how mountaineers taught her to never be overwhelmed again
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Roanne talks about her research among mountaineers and rock climbers. She struggled immensely with vertigo when trying to learn climb...
2: Oskar Verkaaik on what the real function of the interior of a mosque is
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, anthropologist Oskar Verkaaik describes his research on the designs and interiors of mosques in the Netherlands. He shares how he ai...
The Emic - Anthropological lessons from the field
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Want to learn more about Roannes' fieldwork, see her notes, photos or drawings from the field? Then subscibe to her monthly letters at www.anthropolog...
1: Roanne on how of the poorest citizens of the world taught her how to live a rich life
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Emic, I share the lesson that was taught to me by one of the poorest people in the world. He helped me understand how I can liv...