Ryan B. Anderson

Ryan B. Anderson is a cultural and environmental anthropologist in the department of anthropology at Santa Clara University.

Posts by This Author

A Matter of Time: Sea Level Rise, Retreat, and Resistance along the California Coast

Theorizing the Contemporary

A Matter of Time: Sea Level Rise, Retreat, and Resistance along the California Coast

There’s a house in Pacifica, California that I think about a lot. This house was listed in late 2021 in the high $900k range. The introduction of the listing st... More

Speculative Anthropologies

Theorizing the Contemporary

Speculative Anthropologies

At the intersection of speculative fiction and anthropology, we find a sense of epistemological humility about the kind of worlds we could or should inhabit. ... More

Introduction: Speculative Anthropologies

Theorizing the Contemporary

Introduction: Speculative Anthropologies

Anthropology is suspended in teleologies we ourselves have spun. Our versions of life now are inescapably inflected by how we think life is going to be. —Sam... More

The Unstable Edge: Anthropology, Speculative Fiction, and the Incremental Threat of Sea Level Rise

Theorizing the Contemporary

The Unstable Edge: Anthropology, Speculative Fiction, and the Incremental Threat of Sea Level Rise

This past summer, I was leaning on a metal railing on the walkway near the famous surf spot known as Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, California. From the cliffs, ... More