
The week’s highlight was my presentation on Robert Gardner in Unit 5 of Ethnographic Film. I was a bit nervous but I was well prepared and it went pretty smoothly – both the class and the teacher seemed to like it. It’s a challenge to present in front of the screen, while the whole class is watching in front of their screens.

With so much film viewing on laptops, I decided to finally buy a projector. Then I changed my mind. You have to pay so much to get decent quality, and I know I would get annoyed by the fan. And I had almost forgotten that I have an unused 60-inch plasma in the office. The hardest thing is to transport it, but on Friday we rented a Miles transporter and made the move. The result is fantastic and the rental only cost 11 euro for 8 km, despite we had the car for over an hour due to traffic and carrying.
And then it finally happened: I did not read everything for this week’s Digital Anthropology class. That is of course natural and to be expected – it’s up to us students to choose how thoroughly we participate in this programme. That said, until now I’ve read all mandatory readings and most of the recommended ones too – for every course. But I’ve reached a point where I must be more selective in my readings as my research interests become clearer. That’s a good thing.
Study
Ethnographic Film, Unit 6
- Module introduction: Ciné-trance.
- Stoller, Paul (1992): Les Maîtres Fous. In The Cinematic Griot: The Ethnography of Jean Rouch, pp. 145-160.
- Russell, Catherine (1999): Ecstatic Ethnography: Filming Possession Rituals. In Experimental Ethnography, pp.193-237. (Read selectively the chapter introduction and Jean Rouch: Ciné-transe = pp. 193-199 and 218-229.)
And the films:
- Jean Rouch: Les Maîtres Fous (1955, 29 min)
- Bill Viola: I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like (1986, 89 min)
Digital Anthropology, Unit 5
- Gillespie, Marie; Osseiran, Souad; Cheesman, Marie (2018): Syrian Refugees and the Digital Passage to Europe: Smartphone Infrastructures and Affordances. In: Social Media + Society 4, no. 1, pp. 1-12.
- Video: Exodus Our Journey To Europe Ep. 01 (2016, 59 min)
- Video: Your phone is now a refugee’s phone
Digital Anthropology, Unit 7
- Jurgenson, Nathan & Rey, PJ (2013): The Fan Dance: How Privacy Thrives in an Age of Hyper-Publicity. In Lovink, Geert & Rasch, Miriam, eds: Unlike Us Reader. Social Media Monopolies and Their Alternatives, pp. 61-75.
- Abidin, Crystal (2018): Chapter 2: Qualities of Internet Celebrity. In Internet Celebrity. Understanding Fame Online, pp. 19-36.
Other
Articles
- The Economist: Indigenous peoples across the world no longer seem doomed to extinction
- The Economist: How to save Ethiopia’s democratic revolution
- The Economist: The promise and peril of Ethiopia’s democratic revolution
- The Economist: Brazil’s classrooms become a battleground in a culture war
- The Economist: The Central European University is moving to Vienna
- The Economist: Satellites may connect the entire world to the internet
- Explain that stuff: Satellites
- Sankaku Complex: Saint Seiya Goes Forward With Female Saints In “Saintia Shou”
Film, video & games
- Draxtor Despres: Our Digital Selves: My Avatar is me (2018, 75 min)
- The Nerdwriter: Why Are There So Few Smartphones In Popular Movies?
- Mr Robot S1E4-5 (2015, 98 min, rewatched)
- PS3: 街スベリ (2010)
- Wii U: 太鼓の達人 Wii Uば~じょん! (2013)
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