Category Archives: politics

Making space for difference

Posted on August 3, 2020 by jedstevenson

In asserting so emphatically that some-one belongs, we also send a message that others don’t. Continue reading →

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A campaign of dehumanisation in Ethiopia

Posted on November 23, 2019 by jedstevenson

Two weeks ago I wrote about the sad events of the past month in Ethiopia – the violence convulsing some of the cities, and the killing of members of ethnic minority communities in the far southwest of the country, where … Continue reading →

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Maps and the twentieth century

Posted on March 8, 2017 by jedstevenson

There is no internationally agreed map of the world. This is one of the more memorable things I took away from a recent exhibition at the British Library. The exhibition, entitled “Maps and the Twentieth Century: Drawing the Line,” reviewed   … Continue reading →

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Evidence for zombies

Posted on October 12, 2016 by jedstevenson

Last Friday I came home from Edinburgh, head buzzing with ideas after a 2-day meeting on evidence in development and global health. ‘How is evidence defined?’ the speakers from universities and NGOs asked. ‘How is it generated and used?’ Or … Continue reading →

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Leave to Remain

Posted on June 27, 2016 by jedstevenson

Why I cried about Brexit. I cried about the referendum. Explaining why is hard. It’s not that I was committed to the EU as such. I admire some of the values associated with the project of European integration: cosmopolitanism and … Continue reading →

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

Rebooting democracy

Posted on May 10, 2015 by jedstevenson

In the New Scientist, Niall Firth channels a frustration with the democratic process that many in Britain are feeling in the wake of the general election. The system’s broken. Nothing changes. All politicians are the same. Why vote? It’s a … 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

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 →

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