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anthrodave.bsky.social
David Thompson
@anthrodave.bsky.social
1.6K followers 360 following 54 posts
Hello! I'm an anthropologist, I study prisons, abolition and other things in Rio de Janeiro.
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anthrodave.bsky.social
David Thompson @anthrodave.bsky.social · Sep 22
My book is almost out! This is an ethnography of incarceration, it's my attempt to tell a different story about Brazil's prisons and to understand the relationship between punishment and hope. It's out November 25, but available to preorder now. www.sup.org/books/anthro...
Where the Sun Rises Square | Stanford University Press
Brazil's prison population, estimated at 90,000 in 1990, has exploded to over 650,000, the third highest in the world behind the US and China. Systematically targeting poor, Black communities, Brazil'...
www.sup.org
Reposted by David Thompson
xlenc.bsky.social
Wow apparently there IS a better political strategy than throwing trans and Palestinian people under the bus to appease centrists.
November 5, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Reposted by David Thompson
wennergrenorg.bsky.social
Happy to share the news that Wenner-Gren grant recipient, David C. Thompson has a new book available for pre-order! www.sup.org/books/anthro...
Where the Sun Rises Square | Stanford University Press
Brazil's prison population, estimated at 90,000 in 1990, has exploded to over 650,000, the third highest in the world behind the US and China. Systematically targeting poor, Black communities, Brazil'...
www.sup.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by David Thompson
caioalmendra.bsky.social
Today, common people from Penha entered the woods on one side of the mountain. The region is called Pedreira, as it is an inactive quarry.

They found 60+ dead bodies. Some with clear marks of torture. A beheaded young male. Most shot in the back and in the head.

The total count is between 121-128+
October 30, 2025 at 12:09 AM
anthrodave.bsky.social
There's still a few weeks before my book 📚 is officially out, but you can read the intro for free right now! www.sup.org/books/anthro...
Where the Sun Rises Square: Introduction | Stanford University Press
INTRODUCTIONPrison Is Just a Question of TimeHi my friend, or better yet, my new friend, David. It’s around one in the morning and I can’t sleep because of the heat, but I’ve been thinking about your ...
www.sup.org
October 30, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by David Thompson
jayasaxena.com
Here's me with an op-ed in Offrange about the tendency to value undocumented immigrants only for their labor ambrook.com/offrange/per...
More Than Their Work - Offrange
In calls to recognize immigrants as people, too often they’re reduced to what they produce and how they support our economy.
ambrook.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:57 PM
anthrodave.bsky.social
Today!
October 16, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Reposted by David Thompson
anthrodave.bsky.social
If you missed my talks this week, I'm giving another one next Friday (17/10) hosted by ANU Anthropology and via Zoom: archanth.cass.anu.edu.au/events/if-i-...
“If I Were His Mother”: Race, Kinship and Redemption in Brazil’s Prisons | School of Archaeology and Anthropology
Presented in-person and online. Zoom details below.
archanth.cass.anu.edu.au
October 10, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Reposted by David Thompson
timmclellan.bsky.social
Private consultants are taking control of how public universities are evaluated and run.

My submission to the Senate university governance inquiry raises concerns about the impact of Nous Group and their dodgy UniForum data on our universities.

www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStor...

A thread
Image shows a screenshot of the conclusion of the linked Senate inquiry submission. This text can be found on page 10. The text is too long for alt text, but here is the first three quarters of the text: Conclusion Over the past decade, Nous Group’s UniForum data has quietly taken on the status of authoritative benchmark for the quality of a range of professional and academic services performed by public universities in Australia and across the world. This authoritative status is performed through scientific-looking graphs and scientific-sounding jargon designed to imply UniForum data is generated through rigorous methods and backed by expert consensus. This performance of authority is significant: it lends UniForum data an air of credibility and facticity that makes acting upon its results irresistible. When one begins to open the black box and examine how UniForum data is actually produced, however, it becomes difficult to justify the degree to which Australian university executives are relying upon it in their decision-making. My analysis is based on a review of publicly available documents, and it is therefore possible that Nous or its clients would point to things not in the public domain that address some of the conceptual and methodological flaws that I have highlighted in UniForum. But the fact that the underlying UniForum data and methodology is not in the public domain is itself one of the key causes for concerns. When the stakes are so high, it cannot be acceptable for Nous Group and its clients to simply tell university staff and governing councils, ‘trust us, these numbers are based on rigorous methods and analysis.’ The lack of rigor, external scrutiny, and transparency in UniForum’s underlying data and methodology would be a cause for concern in any public institution, but it is especially concerning in the context of universities where rigorous, transparent, and accountable knowledge production is a core part of what we do. ...
September 17, 2025 at 5:54 AM
anthrodave.bsky.social
If you missed my talks this week, I'm giving another one next Friday (17/10) hosted by ANU Anthropology and via Zoom: archanth.cass.anu.edu.au/events/if-i-...
“If I Were His Mother”: Race, Kinship and Redemption in Brazil’s Prisons | School of Archaeology and Anthropology
Presented in-person and online. Zoom details below.
archanth.cass.anu.edu.au
October 10, 2025 at 9:43 AM
anthrodave.bsky.social
Starting soon! (5pm Sydney)
anthrodave.bsky.social David Thompson @anthrodave.bsky.social · Oct 4
Then the next day, 09/10, at my alma mater, Sydney University, as part of the Sydney University Research Community for Latin America: whatson.sydney.edu.au/event/93d345...
The University of Sydney - Event Calendar
Tell me what's on. Events and exhibitions in the University of Sydney.
whatson.sydney.edu.au
October 9, 2025 at 4:29 AM
anthrodave.bsky.social
It’s real!
Me opening a box filled with books. By me! That I wrote! Book cover: ‘where the sun rises square: Mass incarceration and the binds of reform in Brazil’
October 8, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by David Thompson
internethippo.bsky.social
I've created a calculator that gives you the right answer 80% of the time and I believe it will change the world
January 27, 2025 at 3:40 AM
anthrodave.bsky.social
Tomorrow!
anthrodave.bsky.social David Thompson @anthrodave.bsky.social · Oct 4
I'm giving two talks next week about gender, race and redemption in Brazil's prisons. First up, 08/10 at the University Newcastle:
Public lecture: "If I Were His Mother": Race, Kinship and Redemption in Brazil's Prisons". Dr David Thompson. 8 October, 1:15-2:30pm, Room SR 165 and Zoom. Contact: Randi.Irwin@newcastle.edu.au with any questions or to receive a Zoom link by email.
October 7, 2025 at 12:24 AM
anthrodave.bsky.social
I'm giving two talks next week about gender, race and redemption in Brazil's prisons. First up, 08/10 at the University Newcastle:
Public lecture: "If I Were His Mother": Race, Kinship and Redemption in Brazil's Prisons". Dr David Thompson. 8 October, 1:15-2:30pm, Room SR 165 and Zoom. Contact: Randi.Irwin@newcastle.edu.au with any questions or to receive a Zoom link by email.
October 4, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Reposted by David Thompson
roycerk2.bsky.social
This is a remarkable moment.
Screenshot from Sumud fleet tracker.
October 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Reposted by David Thompson
writtenbyuju.bsky.social
“A country in denial. Anyway, I was born…” — Assata Shakur 🤎
September 26, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by David Thompson
rebracweb.bsky.social
Job: Assistant Professor of Latin American Literary & Cultural Studies, University of Notre Dame. Specialism in Afro Latin America (includes Brazil ). NB "Specialists of Brazil will teach in Spanish, English & Portuguese as needed." Closes 1 November 2025. Full info: joblist.mla.org/job/2000392/...
joblist.mla.org
September 25, 2025 at 11:56 AM
anthrodave.bsky.social
My book is almost out! This is an ethnography of incarceration, it's my attempt to tell a different story about Brazil's prisons and to understand the relationship between punishment and hope. It's out November 25, but available to preorder now. www.sup.org/books/anthro...
Where the Sun Rises Square | Stanford University Press
Brazil's prison population, estimated at 90,000 in 1990, has exploded to over 650,000, the third highest in the world behind the US and China. Systematically targeting poor, Black communities, Brazil'...
www.sup.org
September 22, 2025 at 4:56 AM
Reposted by David Thompson
prisonculture.bsky.social
Some of this stuff is just white pundits begging: "please don't shoot me too?"
September 13, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by David Thompson
drdrehistorian.bsky.social
Depressing news. Meanjin hardly posed a significant call on the University of Melbourne's finances: its annual budget was no more than a third of the VC's salary. To shut it down diminishes the University of Melbourne and leaves a large hole in Australia's already threadbare cultural landscape
September 4, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Reposted by David Thompson
osamet.bsky.social
I know there's a lot happening today, but this is sneaking in under the radar. This proposed new rule would absolutely crush foreign PhD students, potentially making it impossible for them to enroll with any certainty of their ability to finish www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
August 28, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Reposted by David Thompson
samuelmoore.org
Assistant Professor - Knowledge Systems, Infrastructures, Communities, and Cultures. Another job at the University of Toronto Faculty of Information.

www.ischools.org/post/assista...
Assistant Professor - Knowledge Systems, Infrastructures, Communities, and Cultures
The Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto invites applications for a full-time tenure stream position in Knowledge Systems, Infrastructures, Communities, and Cultures. The appointment wi...
www.ischools.org
August 9, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by David Thompson
find-bronwyn.bsky.social
Five travel awards for scholars from low & middle income countries are available for this years ASAA/NZ #anthropology Conference in Whāingaroa, Raglan! www.asaanz.org/conference Priority will be given to applicants from #Oceania and #SoutheastAsia
ASAA/NZ Annual Conference — Association of Social Anthropologists of Aotearoa New Zealand
ASAA/NZ ANNUAL CONFERENCE
www.asaanz.org
July 31, 2025 at 10:35 PM
anthrodave.bsky.social
I wrote a book! Coming soon… www.sup.org/books/anthro...
Where the Sun Rises Square | Stanford University Press
Brazil's prison population, estimated at 90,000 in 1990, has exploded to over 650,000, the third highest in the world behind the US and China. Systematically targeting poor, Black communities, Brazil'...
www.sup.org
July 29, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Reposted by David Thompson
illdottore.bsky.social
Rümeysa Öztürk describes the library in the prison where she was held for 45 days for co-authoring an op-ed
After many requests, I finally accessed what turned out to be the saddest and smallest library I have ever seen. I was surprised to find that the books were not categorized by author or Dewey number but size. I tried to find a book before my allotted time ended and picked a cooking book; the second time I got a novel. I began flipping through the pages in search of solace, as books have always been my safe haven. To my surprise, I discovered handwritten notes scattered throughout the book, dated and written by various detainees over time. These messages were filled with reminders of hope, strength, and the assurance that this, too, shall pass. Tears welled up in my eyes as I read their heartfelt expressions. It’s incredible how human beings can find ways to uplift each other, transcending time, space, and borders if they want to and if they choose to. I continued to turn the pages, holding on to the hope of finding brighter moments in this terrifying situation—all thanks to the kindness of people I had never met.
July 17, 2025 at 1:44 PM