@publicanthropology.bsky.social
Dr. Borofsky is the director of the Center for a Public Anthropology
Alexander the Great faced the Gordian knot, an impossible tangle that prophecy said whoever untied would rule Asia. Instead of struggling with the complexity, Alexander simply cut through it with his sword.
#Anthropology faces its own Gordian knot: entrenched habits preventing cumulative progress.
#Anthropology faces its own Gordian knot: entrenched habits preventing cumulative progress.
November 13, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Alexander the Great faced the Gordian knot, an impossible tangle that prophecy said whoever untied would rule Asia. Instead of struggling with the complexity, Alexander simply cut through it with his sword.
#Anthropology faces its own Gordian knot: entrenched habits preventing cumulative progress.
#Anthropology faces its own Gordian knot: entrenched habits preventing cumulative progress.
“Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”—Justice Brandeis
#Anthropology professes values of equality, empowerment, and cumulative knowledge. Yet in practice?
#Anthropology professes values of equality, empowerment, and cumulative knowledge. Yet in practice?
November 10, 2025 at 7:48 PM
“Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”—Justice Brandeis
#Anthropology professes values of equality, empowerment, and cumulative knowledge. Yet in practice?
#Anthropology professes values of equality, empowerment, and cumulative knowledge. Yet in practice?
Cultural knowledge is fluid, contradictory, and alive, yet we freeze it into authoritative texts. When I resurveyed Pukapukan “experts,” their stories shifted between interviews. They weren’t confused; they were creating.
November 7, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Cultural knowledge is fluid, contradictory, and alive, yet we freeze it into authoritative texts. When I resurveyed Pukapukan “experts,” their stories shifted between interviews. They weren’t confused; they were creating.
Anthropologists championed “decolonizing” the discipline, yet still strip informants of their names and agency through pseudonyms. Many informants want recognition, status, pride in contributing to knowledge.
November 5, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Anthropologists championed “decolonizing” the discipline, yet still strip informants of their names and agency through pseudonyms. Many informants want recognition, status, pride in contributing to knowledge.
How do you know an #anthropologist isn't fabricating data? You don't. Pseudonyms shield us from scrutiny while we claim to empower informants.The field's greatest taboo isn't methodology, it's transparency. Sunlight remains our best disinfectant. Who's ready to open their fieldnotes?
November 3, 2025 at 11:18 PM
How do you know an #anthropologist isn't fabricating data? You don't. Pseudonyms shield us from scrutiny while we claim to empower informants.The field's greatest taboo isn't methodology, it's transparency. Sunlight remains our best disinfectant. Who's ready to open their fieldnotes?
NSF requires all proposals specify research will ‘benefit society’ and be ‘understandable to a scientifically literate lay reader.’ Yet most anthropologists write for specialist colleagues only.
October 28, 2025 at 5:25 PM
NSF requires all proposals specify research will ‘benefit society’ and be ‘understandable to a scientifically literate lay reader.’ Yet most anthropologists write for specialist colleagues only.
#Academic anthro jobs contracted 40%+. Alt-ac employers (museums, NGOs, tech, policy) need scholars who communicate beyond specialists. Which PhD programs train this? U of Georgia: 80% of faculty model it. Princeton: 15%. metrics.publicanthropology.org
October 27, 2025 at 4:48 PM
#Academic anthro jobs contracted 40%+. Alt-ac employers (museums, NGOs, tech, policy) need scholars who communicate beyond specialists. Which PhD programs train this? U of Georgia: 80% of faculty model it. Princeton: 15%. metrics.publicanthropology.org
Some anthro programs train scholars to reach ‘a small coterie of colleagues.’ Others train for public discourse, policy influence, community impact. The outcomes: U of Georgia (80%), Harvard (70%) vs. Princeton (15%), U of Virginia (8%). Check your program. metrics.publicanthropology.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Some anthro programs train scholars to reach ‘a small coterie of colleagues.’ Others train for public discourse, policy influence, community impact. The outcomes: U of Georgia (80%), Harvard (70%) vs. Princeton (15%), U of Virginia (8%). Check your program. metrics.publicanthropology.org
When university presidents face budget cuts, they ask: ‘Which departments can we eliminate?’
Currently, administrators have two data sources:
1. Academic citations (measures internal conversation)
Currently, administrators have two data sources:
1. Academic citations (measures internal conversation)
October 22, 2025 at 6:36 PM
When university presidents face budget cuts, they ask: ‘Which departments can we eliminate?’
Currently, administrators have two data sources:
1. Academic citations (measures internal conversation)
Currently, administrators have two data sources:
1. Academic citations (measures internal conversation)
Research shows most academic citations are ‘bump and go’—mentioning a source without engagement, sometimes electronically lifted without reading. Google Scholar counts these as impact.
October 21, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Research shows most academic citations are ‘bump and go’—mentioning a source without engagement, sometimes electronically lifted without reading. Google Scholar counts these as impact.
“Our economists don’t just research inequality, they join the state, advise Sacramento, go into the White House, and actively participate in making the world more equal.”
October 13, 2025 at 12:21 AM
“Our economists don’t just research inequality, they join the state, advise Sacramento, go into the White House, and actively participate in making the world more equal.”
“You don’t get rewarded for reaching out to the public.” UC Berkeley’s Dean Raka Ray names the academic paradox: We produce relevant research, then structure careers to keep it invisible. Her solution?
October 7, 2025 at 11:09 PM
“You don’t get rewarded for reaching out to the public.” UC Berkeley’s Dean Raka Ray names the academic paradox: We produce relevant research, then structure careers to keep it invisible. Her solution?
The Knowledge Circulation Problem:
If we define knowledge as socially circulating insight rather than privately held information, how do we measure whether our research actually constitutes knowledge, or merely publication?
If we define knowledge as socially circulating insight rather than privately held information, how do we measure whether our research actually constitutes knowledge, or merely publication?
October 6, 2025 at 8:24 PM
The Knowledge Circulation Problem:
If we define knowledge as socially circulating insight rather than privately held information, how do we measure whether our research actually constitutes knowledge, or merely publication?
If we define knowledge as socially circulating insight rather than privately held information, how do we measure whether our research actually constitutes knowledge, or merely publication?
Anthropologists cite ‘privacy concerns’ to justify anonymizing collaborators. But Borofsky asked his informants what they actually wanted: public recognition, legacy, intellectual credit. We’ve built an entire ethics apparatus around assumptions we never bothered to verify.
October 2, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Anthropologists cite ‘privacy concerns’ to justify anonymizing collaborators. But Borofsky asked his informants what they actually wanted: public recognition, legacy, intellectual credit. We’ve built an entire ethics apparatus around assumptions we never bothered to verify.
Your research ‘subjects’ have names, expertise, and intellectual contributions that deserve recognition.
Yet most ethnographic work still follows the colonial playbook, extract insights, publish under sole authorship, move on to the next community. #publicanthropology
Yet most ethnographic work still follows the colonial playbook, extract insights, publish under sole authorship, move on to the next community. #publicanthropology
October 1, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Your research ‘subjects’ have names, expertise, and intellectual contributions that deserve recognition.
Yet most ethnographic work still follows the colonial playbook, extract insights, publish under sole authorship, move on to the next community. #publicanthropology
Yet most ethnographic work still follows the colonial playbook, extract insights, publish under sole authorship, move on to the next community. #publicanthropology
The anthropological paradox: Our data is both overwhelming (12,000+ pages) and insufficient (always incomplete).
September 29, 2025 at 5:25 PM
The anthropological paradox: Our data is both overwhelming (12,000+ pages) and insufficient (always incomplete).
What if anthropologists credited the communities who make their research possible? What if ethnographic 'subjects' became recognized collaborators? What if we moved beyond performative decolonization tweets to actual structural change?
September 25, 2025 at 6:10 PM
What if anthropologists credited the communities who make their research possible? What if ethnographic 'subjects' became recognized collaborators? What if we moved beyond performative decolonization tweets to actual structural change?
Dr. Robert Borofsky’s publishing saga reveals academic gatekeeping at its most insidious.
“I thought others would be interested in the fluid, dynamic, diverse nature of Pukapukan knowledge. Nope.”
“I thought others would be interested in the fluid, dynamic, diverse nature of Pukapukan knowledge. Nope.”
September 24, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Dr. Robert Borofsky’s publishing saga reveals academic gatekeeping at its most insidious.
“I thought others would be interested in the fluid, dynamic, diverse nature of Pukapukan knowledge. Nope.”
“I thought others would be interested in the fluid, dynamic, diverse nature of Pukapukan knowledge. Nope.”
Dr. Borofsky: “I had over 12,000 pages of field notes that raised important questions about how we understand the people we study.”
From career advancement to public service, one anthropologist’s radical shift from publishing for personal gain to serving the broader good.
#PublicAnthropology
From career advancement to public service, one anthropologist’s radical shift from publishing for personal gain to serving the broader good.
#PublicAnthropology
September 21, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Dr. Borofsky: “I had over 12,000 pages of field notes that raised important questions about how we understand the people we study.”
From career advancement to public service, one anthropologist’s radical shift from publishing for personal gain to serving the broader good.
#PublicAnthropology
From career advancement to public service, one anthropologist’s radical shift from publishing for personal gain to serving the broader good.
#PublicAnthropology
The uncomfortable questions this raises: Who has the right to determine what constitutes “authentic” tradition? Can something be culturally real even if it’s historically recent? What happens when lived memory conflicts with documented history?
open.spotify.com/episode/1Jop...
open.spotify.com/episode/1Jop...
September 17, 2025 at 9:24 PM
The uncomfortable questions this raises: Who has the right to determine what constitutes “authentic” tradition? Can something be culturally real even if it’s historically recent? What happens when lived memory conflicts with documented history?
open.spotify.com/episode/1Jop...
open.spotify.com/episode/1Jop...
"History is a mysterious and malleable thing" - Ken Burns
Anthropologist Rob Borofsky's 41-month study revealed Pukapuka's "traditional" Akatawa organization never existed before 1976, yet elders insisted they'd lived through it.
Anthropologist Rob Borofsky's 41-month study revealed Pukapuka's "traditional" Akatawa organization never existed before 1976, yet elders insisted they'd lived through it.
September 16, 2025 at 9:18 PM
"History is a mysterious and malleable thing" - Ken Burns
Anthropologist Rob Borofsky's 41-month study revealed Pukapuka's "traditional" Akatawa organization never existed before 1976, yet elders insisted they'd lived through it.
Anthropologist Rob Borofsky's 41-month study revealed Pukapuka's "traditional" Akatawa organization never existed before 1976, yet elders insisted they'd lived through it.
Arts & humanities MUST engage publics to survive. Theater needs audiences. Languages need speakers.
But what about fields that CAN thrive in total isolation?
What if we've been measuring academic value completely backwards?
But what about fields that CAN thrive in total isolation?
What if we've been measuring academic value completely backwards?
September 15, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Arts & humanities MUST engage publics to survive. Theater needs audiences. Languages need speakers.
But what about fields that CAN thrive in total isolation?
What if we've been measuring academic value completely backwards?
But what about fields that CAN thrive in total isolation?
What if we've been measuring academic value completely backwards?
“We’ve never been insulated within the university… our disciplines are often very outward looking.” - Dean Peter Arnade (UH Manoa)
When disciplinary DNA includes public engagement, isolation becomes impossible.
Geography as intellectual methodology?
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
When disciplinary DNA includes public engagement, isolation becomes impossible.
Geography as intellectual methodology?
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
September 12, 2025 at 7:50 PM
“We’ve never been insulated within the university… our disciplines are often very outward looking.” - Dean Peter Arnade (UH Manoa)
When disciplinary DNA includes public engagement, isolation becomes impossible.
Geography as intellectual methodology?
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
When disciplinary DNA includes public engagement, isolation becomes impossible.
Geography as intellectual methodology?
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
Most universities study communities. Hawaii studies with them.
Dr. Arnade’s insight: when scholarship has no local application, what are we actually producing, and for whom?
Geography forced Hawaii to choose: intellectual isolation or community integration.
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
Dr. Arnade’s insight: when scholarship has no local application, what are we actually producing, and for whom?
Geography forced Hawaii to choose: intellectual isolation or community integration.
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
Beyond the Ivory Tower: How Hawaii's Arts Dean Makes Academia a 'Front Door' to Community (With Dr. Peter Arnade)
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
September 11, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Most universities study communities. Hawaii studies with them.
Dr. Arnade’s insight: when scholarship has no local application, what are we actually producing, and for whom?
Geography forced Hawaii to choose: intellectual isolation or community integration.
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
Dr. Arnade’s insight: when scholarship has no local application, what are we actually producing, and for whom?
Geography forced Hawaii to choose: intellectual isolation or community integration.
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
“It’s part of our academic DNA to be not just writers and teachers, but public communicators.”
Dean Peter Arnade (UH Manoa) on how their Pacific & Philippine Studies centers actively serve Hawaii’s communities—not just study them. Watch full episode:
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
Dean Peter Arnade (UH Manoa) on how their Pacific & Philippine Studies centers actively serve Hawaii’s communities—not just study them. Watch full episode:
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
Beyond the Ivory Tower: How Hawaii's Arts Dean Makes Academia a 'Front Door' to Community (With Dr. Peter Arnade)
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
September 8, 2025 at 8:19 PM
“It’s part of our academic DNA to be not just writers and teachers, but public communicators.”
Dean Peter Arnade (UH Manoa) on how their Pacific & Philippine Studies centers actively serve Hawaii’s communities—not just study them. Watch full episode:
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...
Dean Peter Arnade (UH Manoa) on how their Pacific & Philippine Studies centers actively serve Hawaii’s communities—not just study them. Watch full episode:
open.spotify.com/episode/6TFI...