Cultural Studies

Anthropology studies humankind in all its aspects, through archeological, biological, ethnological, and linguistic research – it can trace its roots to ancient Greek historical and philosophical writings about human nature and the organization of human society.  However, few people are familiar with the concept of military anthropology, and those who are have widely differing opinions about its role.  In these podcasts, Dr. Robert Rubinstein discusses with Steve Redifer both the anthropological study of military organizations, such as militaries of nation states, insurgencies, and guerrilla warfare, as well assistance that may be provided by anthropologists to military organizations, such as teaching at military educational institutions or service in areas of operation.  Dr. Rubinstein presents a brief history of military anthropology, including participation by anthropologists in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as covering the role of anthropological science during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Dr. Rubinstein discusses the pros and cons of this involvement and presents a list of principles developed from anthropological literature that can serve to inform military interactions with local populaces.   

Anthropology studies humankind in all its aspects, through archeological, biological, ethnological, and linguistic research – it can trace its roots to ancient Greek historical and philosophical writings about human nature and the organization of human society. However, few people are familiar with the concept of military anthropology, and those who are have widely differing opinions about its role. In these podcasts, Dr. Robert Rubinstein discusses with Steve Redifer both the anthropological study of military organizations, such as militaries of nation states, insurgencies, and guerrilla warfare, as well assistance that may be provided by anthropologists to military organizations, such as teaching at military educational institutions or service in areas of operation. Dr. Rubinstein presents a brief history of military anthropology, including participation by anthropologists in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as covering the role of anthropological science during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Rubinstein discusses the pros and cons of this involvement and presents a list of principles developed from anthropological literature that can serve to inform military interactions with local populaces.

Most experts in the U.S. defense and military policy and practitioners’ communities know that the United States is a longstanding global leader in human rights compliant counterterrorism operations. Few make the link between law of war leadership on the part of the United States and international human rights law compliance, particularly in designing and conducting…

Most experts in the U.S. defense and military policy and practitioners’ communities know that the United States is a longstanding global leader in human rights compliant counterterrorism operations. Few make the link between law of war leadership on the part of the United States and international human rights law compliance, particularly in designing and conducting…

This webinar discusses the individual, local, and regional factors that shape attitudes toward U.S. military presence within host states. The project leverages survey responses of host-state populations in 14 countries that host the majority of U.S. forces abroad. These surveys help expand our understanding of the behavioral, attitudinal, and demographic determinants of attitudes toward the U.S. military, the American people, and the U.S. government as a whole among the populations of host states.

In order to best understand the environments where they work, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) uses a diagnostic tool called the Conflict Assessment Framework to analyze national and sub-national conflict. A conflict assessment is a systematic process used to analyze and prioritize the dynamics of peace, conflict, stability, and instability in a given country context. This webinar will provide an overview of the assessment process and methods, as well as provide illustrative examples from previously conducted field assessments.

Integrated missions require people from diverse backgrounds to work together and to work with local populations with whom they may be unfamiliar, and these cultural differences can present challenges or opportunities. Focusing on multilateral peacekeeping missions, this podcast extends a model of how culture affects interoperability among members of an integrated mission – horizontal interoperability – to the understanding of how culture affects an integrated mission’s work with local populations – vertical interoperability. The podcast identifies seven principles of action which allow integrated missions to take account of culture in engaging local populations.

Integrated missions require people from diverse backgrounds to work together and to work with local populations with whom they may be unfamiliar, and these cultural differences can present challenges or opportunities. Focusing on multilateral peacekeeping missions, this podcast extends a model of how culture affects interoperability among members of an integrated mission – horizontal interoperability – to the understanding of how culture affects an integrated mission’s work with local populations – vertical interoperability. The podcast identifies seven principles of action which allow integrated missions to take account of culture in engaging local populations.

The aim of this podcast is to examine dimensions of accent in terms of the (bio-) linguistic mind/brain and the social mind. Drs. Tej and Shobha Bhatia discuss the silent accent trauma suffered by speakers who speak with “undesirable” foreign or regional accents and experience social exclusion and bullying from native speakers. They also present evidence from neurolinguistic (f-MRI) studies of social pain caused by social exclusion. The discussion is framed particularly in cross-cultural communication through world varieties of the English language and the wide-ranging negative reactions to people who speak English with a foreign or “undesirable” accent.

This podcast discusses forensic linguistics, a technology that offers a new frontier in forensic evidence gathering - particularly in those cases where no other evidence is available to investigators. An example case is that of Theodore J. Kaczynski, the Unabomber:  lack of fingerprints, hair samples, blood stains, DNA evidence, informants, eyewitnesses, or bomb part serial…

In the third installment of Rethinking Culture in the Context of Civil-Military Relations, Dr. Zoli and Dr. Rubinstein continue the conversation around different cultural models of risk and security and discuss the broader impacts of taking a militarized approach to security abroad.

In Part 2 of Rethinking Culture in the Context of Civil-Military Relations, Dr. Rubinstein and Dr. Zoli discuss the strategic effectiveness of DoD efforts to engage culturally in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as debate enduring questions regarding these efforts’ processes and outcomes.

In the second installment of this two-part series, Ambassador Rich Kauzlarich and Dr. Andrew Light discuss opportunities for global cooperation on energy innovation and climate policy. The conversation includes how the economic and development needs of India and China create opportunity for cooperation, the Paris Agreement, and China's Belt and Road Initiative.

This podcast is the first in a multi-part series discussing the impact of culture in the context of civil-military relations.  In this episode, Dr. Corri Zoli and Dr. Robert Rubinstein explore definitions of culture and discuss how different organizational cultures have led the U.S. military and humanitarian groups to pursue divergent on-the-ground security strategies in conflict zones.

In the first installment of a two-part series on the Geopolitics of Climate Change, Ambassador Rich Kauzlarich interviews Dr. Andrew Light, discussing the evolution of climate change diplomacy alongside the emergence of climate vulnerability through the lens of global security.  The conversation overviews emerging climate threats to U.S. interests overseas, the future of the global energy economy, and considerations for global cooperation.

This webinar will cover the Information Analysis Center program and the capabilities and mission of the Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center. It will include and overview of Information Analysis Center activities, core functions, research and analysis capabilities, and a description of the services and products produced by the Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center.