MIT Department of Anthropology

Past Events

MIT Anthropology

Past Events

Nov 19, 2020
Nov 10, 2020

Amy Moran-Thomas on “SUGAR MACHINE: Medical Technologies and Plantation Legacies in the Caribbean Diabetes Epidemic"

Amy Moran-Thomas

MIT Anthropology

Tuesday, November 10, 2020 1:30 - 2:30 PM Virtual

Join Amy Moran-Thomas and LACIS for their Lunchtime Lecture Series: she will present research from her book, Traveling with Sugar: Chronicles of a Global Epidemic which ethnographically explores issues of “planetary health” and debility.

Registration is encouraged, full details at https://lacis.wisc.edu/event/lacis-spring-lecture-series-2020-03-24

Nov 9, 2020

Heather Paxson on Microbiopolitics Now, in Food Safety and Beyond

Heather Paxson

MIT Anthropology Program Head

Monday, November 9, 2020 17:00-19:00 (UK Time), 12:00 - 2:00 PM EST Virtual

The concept of microbiopolitics means to call attention to how the governance of human social life may take microbial life into account.

In this talk, Heather Paxson will provide an overview of the microbiopolitical terms of debate in the United States over safe means of food production (taking as her case study raw-milk cheese), juxtaposing this with a different set of (micro)biopolitics at stake in the metabolic regulation of the national food supply through food import restrictions. Registration required, more info at http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/29360

Oct 23, 2020

Héctor Beltrán on “Code Work: Thinking with the System in México”

Héctor Beltrán

MIT Anthropology

Friday, October 23, 2020 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM Virtual

Héctor Beltrán will be giving a talk on October 23rd from 11:30am - 12:45pm on "Code Work: Thinking with the System in México” as part of Charles Babbage Institute's "Just Code: Power, Inequality, and the Global Political Economy of IT" Symposium taking place Oct. 23 - 24.

The symposium is free - registration is required. Register here: https://justcode.cbi.umn.edu/home.

Feb 28, 2018

Heather Paxson moderates "The City Talks: Family Lineage"

Heather Paxson

MIT Department of Anthropology

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 7:00 - 8:00 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Professor Heather Paxson will moderate "The City Talks: Family Lineage" at the Museum of Fine Arts on February 28th from 7:00-8:00 pm. The "City Talks" is a series of public forums to discuss themes in their current exhibitions that relate to the cultural, political, and social life of the City of Boston.

Sep 8, 2017

Screening of I Am Not Your Negro

Friday, September 8, 2017 8:00 PM 26-100

The Anthropology Department will be sponsoring a screening of the award-winning documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, on the evening of September 12th in Building 26, Room 100.  Admission is free.

Apr 25, 2016

Exit Zero Film Screening

Monday, April 25, 2016 5:00-8:00 PM Bartos Theater, E15-070

Join us for a moving, intimate portrait of a Rust Belt family struggling to come to terms with a changing America... What happens when industry leaves a community? Does moving up mean moving out for the next generation?

Dec 9, 2015

Film Screening: Ganesh Yourself - a film by Emmanuel Grimaud

Emmanuel Grimaud

Wednesday, December 9, 2015 5:00-7:00 PM

French filmmaker and anthropologist, Emmanuel Grimaud, will be presenting his latest film, Ganesh Yourself, about a "wild-tech" robot with an elephant head, designed in the image of the Hindu god Ganesh, walking through the streets of Mumbai. Discussion by Michael M.J. Fischer and reception to follow.

Apr 19, 2013

Making Movies, Making Science

Christine Walley

MIT Department of Anthropology

Friday, April 19, 2013 6:00-8:00 PM MIT Museum

Challenge your views of the world around you with video screenings from MIT's DV Lab. See what happens when documentary film production takes on a social scientific outlook. Join us for a series of short films by MIT students that offer an innovative, intimate look at the worlds of science and technology both at MIT and beyond. Filmmakers will be available for a Q&A after the screenings. Hosted by Professor Christine Walley and Chris Boebel.

Apr 19, 2013

The Political Life of Cheese

Heather Paxson

MIT Department of Anthropology

Friday, April 19, 2013 1:30-3:00 PM MIT Museum

Learn about artisanal cheesemaking in America. Heather Paxson, MIT anthropology professor and author of The Life of Cheese, will lead a discussion about the practical and legal challenges of artisanal cheese production, from farm to market. Share your thoughts on consumer choice, public health, and government regulation as they relate to this unique, tasty, and living food.

Apr 16, 2013

Artisanal Cheesemaking in America

Heather Paxson

MIT Department of Anthropology

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 6:30-8:30 PM

Artisanal cheese is not new to America, but it is certainly gaining new attention. MIT anthropologist Heather Paxson, author of The Life of Cheese: Crafting Food and Value in America, discusses how and why artisanal cheese is becoming a new source of cultural and economic value in the United States. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A, a book signing and a reception.

Apr 13, 2013

Exit Zero rough cut at The Field Museum

Saturday, April 13, 2013 9:00 AM The Field Museum in Chicago

Christine Walley and Chris Boebel will be hosting a screening of the rough cut of their documentary film, Exit Zero, at The Field Museum in Chicago. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers, tours of The Field Museum's Restoring Earth exhibit featuring the Calumet region, and panel discussions with area heritage, environmental justice and labor activists, including panelists from People for Community Recovery, Southeast Environmental Task Force, Alliance For American Manufacturing, and the United Steelworkers Union. There will also be a book signing and reception with Christine Walley and Chris Boebel. The day-long event will last from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.