Anthropocene Anthropology: Reconceptualizing Contemporary Global Change

The Anthropocene is the scientific label given by earth scientists to the current epoch of unprecedented anthropogenic planetary change. The Anthropocene is also a political label designed to call attention to this change and evolving notions of agency and responsibility in contemporary life. This article critically explores what I call ‘the Anthropocene idea’ and the condition of ‘Anthropocene spaces’ through selected anthropological writing about recent planetary change and through analysis of current events in a specific ‘vulnerable’ location. By considering recent events in The Bahamas, I arrive at an orientation that I call simply Anthropocene anthropology. Rather than advocating for the creation of a new subfield of research, this mode of engagement offers an open-ended conceptual framework for the critical examination of the Anthropocene idea as it influences the symbolic and material realities of contemporary Anthropocene spaces

Academic Librarians’ Perceptions of Productivity While Working From Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research study assessed academic librarians’ perceptions of productivity while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information was collected via an online survey that was sent out to several Association of College and Research Libraries listservs. Participants were academic librarians who work at large colleges and universities (FTE is greater than 15,000 students). Librarianship is a practice done mostly onsite, and with the sudden transition to remote work, academic librarians were forced to adapt to an unknown work environment with less access to the direct support of supervisors. This research demonstrates that the majority of academic librarians perceived themselves to be highly productive, and generally satisfied with their jobs, while working from home

Growing intimate privatepublics: Everyday utopia in the naturecultures of a young lesbian and bisexual women’s allotment

The Young Women’s Group in Manchester is a ‘young women’s peer health project, run by and for young lesbian and bisexual women’, which runs an allotment as one of its activities. At a time when interest in allotments and gardening appears to be on the increase, the existence of yet another community allotment may seem unremarkable. Yet we suggest that this queer allotment poses challenges for conventional theorisations of allotments, as well as for understandings of public and private. In this article we explore how the allotment project might be understood to be intensely engaged in ‘growing intimate publics’, or what we term ‘privatepublics’. These are paradoxical intimacies, privatepublic spaces which are not necessarily made possible in the usual private sphere of domestic homes. Here we focus on the work involved in materialising the allotment, which we understand as a queer privatepublic ‘natureculture’ (Haraway, 2008) which appears as an ‘everyday utopia’ (Cooper, 2014)

Introduction: Oceans

In this introduction, we introduce the new editors of the journal and the new members of the editorial board. We then summarize the articles, highlighting the intellectual contributions they make to an environmental and social analysis of the world\u27s oceans, ocean scientists, and marine species

Feeding island dreams: exploring the relationship between food security and agritourism in the Caribbean

Caribbean islands have increasingly turned to tourism as a pathway for economic advancement, often to the detriment of other industries, particularly agriculture. The influx of millions of tourists to these island destinations increases food demand, escalates food importation, and oftentimes results in food insecurity. Agritourism, an alternative tourism form, has been proposed as a way to stimulate domestic food production and increase food security. This article provides a selective examination of the possibilities of relationships between agritourism and food security in the context of a specific Caribbean island: New Providence, Bahamas. Drawing from semi-structured interviews and site visits with over sixty farmers, we focus on the experiences of three farms that have attempted to engage in agritourism, with different approaches, levels of success, and potential impacts on food security. We find that the potential for agritourism to transform food security for Caribbean islands is constrained by demand and the consumption standards of both residents and tourists. The type of agritourism that has thus far proven to be most appealing to tourists is unachievable for the majority of farmers, has inconsequential contributions to island food security, and privileges wealthy farmers. Unfortunately, in its current form, agritourism is not yet a viable solution for the food security issues of New Providence, let alone other Caribbean islands

Top Of The Lineup: College Baseball Players’ Perceptions Of The Trait Of Narcissism And Achievement Orientation And Their College Experience

The top of the lineup is a baseball term that refers to the first few players at bat. In baseball it is a term to be revered as those players are considered exceptional. Baseball, as are many intercollegiate sports, is highly competitive. Therefore, with the high level of competition for a spot, in perspective, these college players are all the top of the lineup. However, at the college level these players have to make many sacrifices, meet challenges other students do not, and juggle to find a balance between being a student and being an athlete in order to allow for a successful college experience. Achievement goal orientation and individual beliefs and traits play a role in how these student athletes manage this task. It is important to determine however, if a particular goal orientation, such as ego orientation, and certain traits, such as narcissism, may be detrimental or beneficial to the college baseball player and how these traits are perceived by the player in the overall college experience. This study sought participants from a Division I baseball team to explore their perceptions and better understand the influence of traits and achievement goal orientation within the culture of the various divisions. Qualitative methodology was used to allow for the opportunity to explore the participants’ perceptions of the phenomena. The participants’ reflections created understanding of the relevance of a focus on hard work and task orientation to achieve success through teamwork. Narcissism as a personal trait was present but either set aside or used to the benefit of the team and its shared goals