Anthropology... What kind of job will you get with that? - Chats with Sam

Last week at Victoria University, we had 'Study at Vic Day' - an open day for prospective students. I spent some time on the Cultural Anthropology stand, talking to potential students who were interested in studying Anthropology... aside from many people having no idea what it was, I was asked the same question from every person

So... what kind of job can you get with that?

Classic. Luckily, anthsisters have another installment of 'Anthropology... what kind of job will you get with that?' To answer that question.. and to prove that anthropology can land you an awesome job, I talked to Sam, who finished his honours year in anthropology at Vic Uni last year. Enjoy!

- Tayla

Sam is currently living in London and working in the digital marketing world. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Music and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Cultural Anthropology. His passions and interests are art, literature, music, film, television, music video gaming and people. 

#TheoryThursday

TW: Discussions of Racism 


Defining ethnocentrism 

Recognizing and addressing ethnocentrism is one of the most important parts of anthropological practice. Being ethnocentric involves evaluating another culture solely through the lens of your own cultural values and standards, and is underpinned by a belief that your culture is inherently superior, natural, important,  or exclusively normal. Ethnocentrism is often tied in with notions of class, taste, morality, religion, and race. Ethnocentrism is visible where cultural differences are labelled as 'unnatural', 'abnormal', 'weird', or 'illogical'.

Ethnocentrism and 'broken' English

Stan Walker - a Māori recording artist and TV personality from Tauranga Moana, Tuhoe, and Ngati Tūwharetoa - was a judge on the X Factor NZ in 2013 and 2015. Throughout the show he used a mix of Te Reo Māori and a style of English that carries traits that signal Māori identity. Despite his success in the music industry the media and some members of the general public used his speech as a way to undermine his credibility. The word 'yous' in particular, brought the fire from mainstream NZ.

Be(com)ing a Responsible Māori Researcher - Reflecting on Fieldwork with Ngāti Rakaipaaka

Hi anthfriends! The following is a paper reflecting on the fieldwork I did with my iwi, Ngāti Rakaipaaka, for my thesis. I presented it last year at the International Competing Responsibilities Conference held in Wellington. Happy reading – Hollie :)

Tane-Nui-A-Rangi Marae. Photo by Moemoea Collective.

Tēnā koutou katoa, 

Ko Moumoukai tōku maunga
Ko Ngā Nuhaka tōku awa

Ko Tākitimu tōku waka

Ko Tāne Nui A Rangi tōku marae

Ko Ngāti Rakaipaaka tōku iwi

Ko Hira Patio Raroa rāua ko Kiriwera Pani ōku tīpuna

Ko Jackie Pani rāua ko Bob Russell ōku mātua

Nō reira ka puta mai ahau

Ā ko Hollie Russell tōku ingoa

Today my talk will focus on being and becoming a responsible Māori researcher. The being part is mostly what I've learnt from others, from what I've read, and from workshops I've been to. The becoming part is my experience of learning about and attempting to carry out Kaupapa Māori research for my thesis which considers Ngāti Rakaipaaka identity - discussing the past, present and future.

Anthropology... what kind of job will you get with that? - words of wisdom from Hayley

Kia ora! Long time no see.

We thought we would kick off a new round of blog posts with one of our most popular features 'anthropology... what kind of job will you get with that?'.

Yes if you have ever been a student of cultural anthropology you will most likely have been subjected to a bunch of similar questions  including "what even is anthropology?", or "Oh so like Bones the TV show?"  (Hmmm kinda but not really because I can't science/math), or even "Don't you want to make money?".

Never fear, we can reassure you that your chosen career path is a valid and important one. We have already talked to Caitlin about this and today we are going to share Hayley Bathard's story with you. We particularly love her advice for any budding anthropologists at the end of the piece. So....enjoy! And let us know below if you have had any funny comments on your degree choice. 

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I have a BA in Anthropology and Gender Studies, a BA (Hons) in Anthropology, and an MA in Anthropology. I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Otago, and my postgrad at Victoria University of Wellington.

Tell us a bit about how you got into anthropology? Why you love it / hate it? What made you think to yourself “Hayley, anth is what I want to do with my life"?
I took a gap year after school which I hoped would give me time to decide what I really wanted to do at uni – instead,