Wright Celebrates World Anthropology Day
- Olivia Ballasch
- 15 hours ago
- 2 min read
The third Thursday of every February marks World Anthropology Day. On Feb. 19 Wright hosted an event in the library to celebrate. You might ask yourself, what even is anthropology? It can be defined by a few words: The study of human societies and cultures and their development. The celebration was led by Professor Jo Zalea Matias, Professor Sydney Hart, and Professor Sarah Shepherd Manandhar.
“When we think about putting a handprint on a wall, it’s symbolic. It’s something that stands for something. You think about maybe when you all were young, the very first art you did was something like a handprint,” Matias said when giving her slideshow on cave art. “You can think this is a way of saying ’I am here'.”
"Our identity is based on what we do and who we show other people who we are. We use our clothing, our dress, and our behavior to communicate to other people who we want them to think we are,” Manandhar said.
When asked what the goal of the event was, the main consensus with the three professors was showing the importance of anthropology. Hart emphasized the importance of telling the stories of the past. “When Europeans went around the world, they took peoples stuff. Sometimes it was an honest exchange, sometimes it was outright stealing, and sometimes it was buying stuff from one group that didn’t have a right to sell it," Hart said when reflecting on one such story.
Student Annemarie Graham said they attended not only for extra credit but for their love of the subject.
“I love anthropology,” said Graham. “I think it’s interesting to dive into the nitty-gritty of why we’re here and who was before us.”
The overall event had a good turnout, information packed mini lectures, and a variety of food!
