Author Archives: jedstevenson

Remembering Adwa

Posted on March 3, 2015 by jedstevenson

The defeat of a European invasion force by Africans 120 years ago presents challenges for how we remember. How are historical memories kept alive? And what meanings should we assign to them? Jed Stevenson This week in 1896, an army … Continue reading →

Posted in africa, Ethiopia, history, Italy, lifespan, memory, war | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The year in 9 books

Posted on December 31, 2014 by jedstevenson

Some people send around a poem, a verse of scripture, or a pithy quotation at the end of the year. Not one to do things by halves, I hereby give you nine books. 1. Carbon democracy: Political power in the … Continue reading →

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Fighting for life and sight in Ethiopia

Posted on May 20, 2014 by jedstevenson

ABEL WAS BORN with one eye larger than the other. The difference wasn’t striking, but it caught the attention of the doctor who delivered him, and Abel’s father Getahun sought advice on what might have caused it. “There’s nothing wrong … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, children, Ethiopia, health, medicine | Tagged | 2 Comments

Eye cancer in Ethiopia, revisited

Posted on March 28, 2014 by jedstevenson

My son suffers from a cancer of the eyes that is fatal if untreated. Now three years old, he’s leading about as close to a normal life as a child can with such a disease — thanks in large part … Continue reading →

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A distorted lens

Posted on February 4, 2014 by jedstevenson

Before They Pass Away, a project of the Anglo-Dutch photographer Jimmy Nelson, provides a window on some of the indigenous peoples of the world. His photographs — reproduced in a coffee-table book and a lavish website — are beautiful. But … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropology, Ethiopia, indigenous people, justice, photography, politics, Westernization | Leave a comment

The EPA: A victim of its own success?

Posted on January 9, 2014 by jedstevenson

William Ruckelshaus was the first director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a recent interview he reflected on what’s changed during the 43 years since the agency was established — and in particular since the passing of landmark … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropology, climate, environmental science, health, politics, USA, water | Leave a comment

Top ten books of 2013

Posted on January 1, 2014 by jedstevenson

These are the books that marked the year for me.* Each resonated in one way or another with things I’ve learned as a researcher in Ethiopia and Congo, and as a dad.   1. The landgrabbers: The new fight over … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropology, climate, education, environmental science, evolution, food, health, inspiration, medicine, politics | 2 Comments

A day in the life, in the Congo rainforest

Posted on December 29, 2013 by jedstevenson

A further installment from last summer’s research trip to the Congo   Within an hour of sunrise, I was woken by the heat. Outside my tent, Jerome sat on a makeshift bench, with his laptop open in front of him. … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropology, Congo, food, hunter-gatherers | Leave a comment

The roots of egalitarianism

Posted on July 15, 2013 by jedstevenson

Are we natural democrats? Or will tyrants always be with us?   IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, a handful of anthropologists, living with hunter-gatherers, described the workings of societies without leaders, where food seemed to be equally available to all. [1] … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hunter-gatherer conference: day 1

Posted on June 25, 2013 by jedstevenson

  Today was the first day of the international Conference on Hunting and Gathering Societies (CHaGS).   The 10th meeting of its kind since 1966, it’s brought together approximately 200 delegates — scholars from all four continents, and from the … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropology, hunter-gatherers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments