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A long-term view of the California coast in JCR
I have a new article coming out in the Journal of Coastal Research (JCR) soon. The article takes a long-term anthropological and archaeological look at the California coast, focusing on the issues of erosion, shoreline loss, sand replenishment, and the whole question of retreat. The photograph of the Oceanside pier (above) is one of a… — read more
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ATG #3: From Blade Runner to Luis Arraez Edition
After a bit of a fall hiatus due to all the stuff that’s happening everywhere, here’s another installment in my Anthropology the Gathering (ATG) roundup: 1) Blade Runner and anthropology: I got to teach my class on culture, film, and media this past fall quarter. We watched Blade Runner 2049 and read a 2021 piece… — read more
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The economic and social meanings of rebuilding on an unruly coast
This was originally published on The Exchange, via the Society for Economic Anthropology, in 2023. Why, after disasters, do communities keep rebuilding? And why, in particular, would they keep rebuilding certain problematic structures, like seawalls and piers? These are questions that often get asked every time another storm, or hurricane, hits a coastal town. It’s… — read more