Operationalizing anthropological theory: four techniques to simplify networks of co-occurring ethnographic codes

The use of data and algorithms in the social sciences allows for exciting progress, but also poses epistemological challenges. Operations that appear innocent and purely technical may profoundly influence final results. Researchers working with data can make their process less arbitrary and more accountable by making theoretically grounded methodological choices. We apply this approach to the problem of simplifying networks representing ethnographic corpora, in the interest of visual interpretation. Network nodes represent ethnographic codes, and their edges the co-occurrence of codes in a corpus. We introduce and discuss four techniques to simplify such networks and facilitate visual analysis. We show how the mathematical characteristics of each one are aligned with an identifiable approach in sociology or anthropology: structuralism and post-structuralism; identifying the central concepts in a discourse; and discovering hegemonic and counter-hegemonic clusters of meaning. We then provide an example of how the four techniques complement each other in ethnographic analysis

The changing landscape of Constanciacus: a lost settlement in the Lagoon of Venice

« Costanziaco Project » is an interdisciplinary, multi-period archaeological project focused on the study of an ancient settlement in the Northern Lagoon of Venice, known in Medieval and later documentary sources as Costanciacus (Cottica et al., 2008). The project has been promoted by the Department of Antiquity and the Near East of the University of Venice and by the Superintendence for the Archaeological Heritage in the Veneto region. In Antiquity Costanciacus comprised two islands, S. Aria..

The changing landscape of Constanciacus: a lost settlement in the Lagoon of Venice

« Costanziaco Project » is an interdisciplinary, multi-period archaeological project focused on the study of an ancient settlement in the Northern Lagoon of Venice, known in Medieval and later documentary sources as Costanciacus (Cottica et al., 2008). The project has been promoted by the Department of Antiquity and the Near East of the University of Venice and by the Superintendence for the Archaeological Heritage in the Veneto region. In Antiquity Costanciacus comprised two islands, S. Aria..

Archaeology and Archaeometry of a local production of Black Glazed Ware at Pompeii

International audienceThe paper focuses on a local production of Black Glazed ware attested in Pompeii between the mid-fourth and the early-third century B.C. The ceramics thereafter presented were found in a specific archaeological deposit termed as X B11, brought to light in stratigraphic excavations undertaken in the forum area in 1980/81 by P. Arthur on behalf of the local Superintendence

Youth transitions as ‘wiki-transitions’ in youth policies platforms

The version of a journal article that has been accepted for publication in a journal. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Societies on 22/11/2019 available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14616696.2019.1690158.In recent years, a number of youth-focused online platforms have emerged which, in different ways, seek to support young people across Europe in building pathways to independent adulthood. In this article, we draw on data from Edgeryders, a recent youth policy research project, to reflect on the extent to which online discussion platforms are useful instruments for understanding the challenges youth face in their transitions to independent adulthood across Europe. Noting the collaborative emphasis articulated by both the project designers and participants, we ask how we might make sense of the data – and the meanings conveyed by that data – produced by online projects. We propose the notion of ‘wiki-transitions’ as a means of theorising young people’s use of online space to support their transitions to adulthood

Analytical methods applied to diverse types of Brazilian propolis

Propolis is a bee product, composed mainly of plant resins and beeswax, therefore its chemical composition varies due to the geographic and plant origins of these resins, as well as the species of bee. Brazil is an important supplier of propolis on the world market and, although green colored propolis from the southeast is the most known and studied, several other types of propolis from Apis mellifera and native stingless bees (also called cerumen) can be found. Propolis is usually consumed as an extract, so the type of solvent and extractive procedures employed further affect its composition. Methods used for the extraction; analysis the percentage of resins, wax and insoluble material in crude propolis; determination of phenolic, flavonoid, amino acid and heavy metal contents are reviewed herein. Different chromatographic methods applied to the separation, identification and quantification of Brazilian propolis components and their relative strengths are discussed; as well as direct insertion mass spectrometry fingerprinting