Tag Archives: John Barker

Ancestral Lines, Second Edition

At the core of the Teaching Culture series of ethnographies is John Barker’s Ancestral Lines: The Maisin of Papua New Guinea and the Fate of the Rainforest. This book has been tremendously successful in college and university classrooms because of its beautiful writing, its clear organization, and because it does not talk down to or bore students. This week, the book is available in a new edition, and we asked John Barker, the author and editor of the Teaching Culture series, to say a few words about its publication and the history behind the book. read more…

  • dateApril 4, 2016
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  • posted byJohn Barker
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Post #AAA2015

I’m still applying moisturizer three times a day to rehydrate after the arid Denver conditions. It was an energizing, exhausting, and momentous #AAA2015 as members voted overwhelmingly in support of the BDS resolution. As well, it was the end of our special Canadian influence at the AAA with Monica Heller finishing her term as President. I missed her presidential address but will see at least some of it realized in a forthcoming book. Thanks for all your hard work over the last two years @anthroprez (now @MonicaHeller4)! read more…

  • dateNovember 24, 2015
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  • posted byAnne
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A Teacher’s Review of Ancestral Lines: The Maisin of Papua New Guinea and the Fate of the Rainforest

I have taught Ancestral Lines: The Maisin of Papua New Guinea and the Fate of the Rainforest by John Barker every semester since it came out in 2008. Without hesitation, it is my favourite teaching ethnography. Allow me to share with you how I teach with it… read more…

  • dateNovember 11, 2014
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  • posted byThomas McIlwraith
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Post-AAA Post

Another year, another AAA come and gone. It felt like one of the busiest yet—from the frenzy of pre-conference tweeting about the role of scarves in an anthropologist’s wardrobe, to the crazy long lineups for coffee in the Chicago Hilton, to the lively conversations that were brimming with creative ideas for new books and new ways of thinking about how to approach teaching. We’re exhausted, but in a good way. And we’re excited about turning some of these ideas into reality in the near future. read more…

  • dateNovember 26, 2013
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  • posted byAnne
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The Research Portfolio Project

I’ve experimented with several types of assignments over the years. The one I keep coming back to is the “research portfolio.” This requires students to begin amassing information on an ethnographic subject that interests them while reflecting on the way they learn. There is no final term paper. The idea is that the project doesn’t end with the class but continues indefinitely into the future… read more…

  • dateNovember 11, 2013
  • comments1
  • posted byJohn Barker
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