These Fieldsights sections feature series of ten or more short-form essays, which bring together scholars across institutions and career stages to weigh in on a shared topic. These pieces are reviewed by the editors of Cultural Anthropology.
Religion, Law, and Bolsonaro’s Decree on Essential Services
The corona virus pandemic has raised wide-ranging questions on the limits of religious freedoms in a global health crisis. While religious gatherings have acted... More
Covid-19, (In)visible Mothers, and the State
I called Yesenia on a Tuesday afternoon, but she didn’t answer. My number wouldn’t be familiar to her, as I wasn’t her son’s teacher, nor was I employed by the ... More
Crowd, Contagion, Corona
In early March 2020, weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic locked down much of Bangladesh, I was told a story by a friend, clearly in jest. A violent crowd had bea... More
The Irruption of Care, or Facing a Pandemic in Times of Revolution
No sintai miedo, si gracias a la Primera Línea nosotros podemos marchar. Si no fuese por ellos, no existiría la marcha.—Stefan Kramer “Don’t be afraid, it’s th... More
Prison as the Problem, Prison as the Cure
Across the United States, politicians, public prosecutors, and local and federal courts have released thousands in the country’s jails and prisons in an effort ... More
Stigma and the Logics of Wartime
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service has been subsumed in recent weeks by military metaphors. Health workers are “servicemen” on the “frontline” “battli... More
Impact of Covid-19 on Hijras, a Third-Gender Community in India
On Tuesday, March 24, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on the telly that India will put its population of 1.38 billion under lockdown to curb commun... More
Birthing under Investigation
Covid-19 has ushered in a new grammar of intimacy. Every physical interaction inspires a calculation of risk management. Consequential decisions are made over t... More
"Bigas Hindi Dahas": Covid-19 and State Violence
Fifteen days after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a Luzon-wide “enhanced community quarantine” to curb the spread of Covid-19, the residents of Si... More
Communion in Quarantine: How Liturgical Christian Churches Celebrated Easter
Good Friday liturgical services in the Armenian Apostolic Church—under normal circumstances—include a grand procession carrying a wooden recreation of the Tomb ... More