The standout themes of this month are: the varying meanings of wellness and well-being, and Covid 19’s effect: on local populations, women and domestic violence, caregivers, and therapy over Zoom. In honor of International Persons with Disabilities Day (Dec. 3rd), I draw your attention to Medical Anthropology’s article about disability access and the Berlin transport system. Happy Reading.

Annals of …

Social Studies of Science

Cultivated co-production: Sexual health, human rights, and the revision of the ICD
Steven Epstein

STS scholars frequently have shown how science and sociopolitical arrangements are ‘co-produced’, typically tracing how scientific actors themselves keep ‘science’ and ‘politics’ far apart. Revealing co-production is therefore deemed the work of the STS analyst, who unearths linkages that the actors might …

Sociocultural contexts of mental illness experience among Africans (open access)
Akin Ojagbemi, Oye Gureje

Even though mental disorders can be found in every culture globally, the lived experience, expression of associated distress, and interpretation as evidence of deviance from acceptable norms are influenced by social and cultural context (Kirmayer, 2001). Hence, the context of mental illness experience should be a key …

Medical Anthropology has just released a special issue, edited by Thurka Sangaramoorthy and Megan A. Carney, which offers insights into “the landscape of immigrant mental health and how the experience of multiple exclusions influences collective psychosocial well-being.”

Immigration, Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-being (open access)
Thurka Sangaramoorthy & Megan A. Carney

Anthropological approaches to “immigrant mental health” as an object

Annual Review of Anthropology

Food Insecurity, Nutritional Inequality, and Maternal–Child Health: A Role for Biocultural Scholarship in Filling Knowledge Gaps
Barbara A. Piperata & Darna L. Dufour

Food insecurity, a significant contributor to nutritional inequality, disproportionately affects women and children in low- and middle-income countries. The magnitude of the problem has inspired research on its impacts on health, especially on

Rounding out September’s In the Journals compilation, here are several more articles of interest. See also these Special Issues on “Island Imaginaries” and “Beyond the Production of Ignorance” and more in a separate post by Eliza Williamson. Enjoy!

American Anthropologist 

Learning How Not to Know: Pragmatism, (In)expertise, and the Training of American Helping Professionals
E. Summerson Carr

Motivational interviewing