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I am a recent anthropology PhD and writer who studies digital media and politics in the former USSR. I write a regular column for Al Jazeera and contribute to Foreign Policy and other publications.Recent Tweets
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by the Academic Jobs Wiki”
The anthropology blog Savage Minds interviewed me last week on my career, the crisis in higher education and the role of anthropology in public life. An excerpt below, on grad students and the job market: Graduate students live in constant … Continue reading
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St. Louis and the American Dream
For Al Jazeera English, I have a new article on my adopted city of St. Louis. An excerpt: In St. Louis, you can buy a mansion for $275,000. It has twelve bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a three-bedroom carriage house, and is … Continue reading
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Unpaid Internships and the Politics of Privilege
At Al Jazeera English, I have a new article about the alleged auction of a UN internship for $22,000, and on unpaid internships in general. An excerpt: UN internships may not be up for auction, but they are, in essence, … Continue reading
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Terrorism and Ethnicity in the American Media
I have a new article for Al Jazeera, The wrong kind of Caucasian, on the long history of the American media blaming an entire ethnicity for the violent acts of an individual: It is easy to criticise the media, and … Continue reading
The Adjunct Crisis Continues
I have a new article on Al Jazeera English about adjuncts in academia, but maybe you already knew that. Since it came out on Thursday, it has been shared by over 14,000 people on Facebook and remains the most popular … Continue reading
New Interview
To my surprise, this interview with me on the blog From PhD to Life has gone a little viral, and was featured in The Billfold, Savage Minds, and other places. If you haven’t read it, you can find it here. … Continue reading
How Academic Paywalls Kill Research Funding
Several months ago I predicted that the academic paywall system – which cuts off scholarly work from ordinary people unwilling to shell out hundreds of dollars for a few articles — would ultimately lead to a loss of funding down … Continue reading
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Tagged academia, central asia, paywalls, policy, publishing, US politics
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What We Lost When We Lost in Iraq
For Al Jazeera English, I reflected on what we lost when we lost the Iraq War: “Without evidence, confidence cannot arise,” Hans Blix declared to the United Nations in the run up to the war. He was wrong: confidence, like evidence, could … Continue reading
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Money Money, Ride the Pony
In a new article for Al Jazeera, I discuss how Americans – especially young Americans — are being conditioned to accept unpaid labor as normal. This is particularly true in journalism, as the recent debate over the Atlantic reveals: The news … Continue reading
The Ethics of Military Aid to Uzbekistan
For Al Jazeera English, I take on the heated debate surrounding Western military aid to Uzbekistan: Analysts have long debated the ethical and strategic ramifications of providing Uzbekistan with military equipment - largely unidentified but allegedly non-lethal - in exchange for a transport route … Continue reading
