Rephonic
Artwork for New Books in Anthropology

New Books in Anthropology

New Books Network
Caste
Anthropology
Environmental Justice
Climate Change
Ethnography
China
India
Buddhism
Colonialism
Cyprus
Migration
Anti-Christian Violence
Cultural Expression
Artificial Intelligence
Hindutva
Mental Health
Mestizaje
Afro-Latinx Culture
Cats
Race

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes1059Founded16 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Social SciencesScience

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for New Books in Anthropology

Latest Episodes

Eating Grasshoppers: Chapulines and the Women Who Sell Them (U Texas Press, 2025) is an approachable ethnography of how grasshoppers are harvested, sold, and consumed in Oaxaca.

Chapulines (toasted grasshoppers) are not a delicacy in Oaxaca. They ar... more

American Amazigh: Remaking North African Indigeneity and Belonging in the Diaspora (NYU Press, 2026) by Dr. Heide Castañeda examines the complex identity negotiations of Amazigh people—also known as Berbers—as they build community and claim visibilit... more

Elizabeth Roberts has experienced the suffering wrought by addiction: her sister’s destructive alcoholism and dependency on prescription drugs, her mother’s hoarding, and her own struggles with binge eating. As for so many of us, addiction brought ab... more

The 2011 Fukushima Dai’ichi nuclear disaster was the worst industrial nuclear catastrophe to hit Japan. It was a major event, rated at the highest severity, which released radioactive elements into the power plant’s surrounding environment when back-... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Free Thinking
Free ThinkingBBC Radio 4
London Review Bookshop Podcast
London Review Bookshop PodcastLondon Review Bookshop
Acid Horizon
Acid HorizonAcid Horizon
For The Wild
For The WildFor The Wild

Recent Guests

Maxime Polleri
Anthropologist studying contemporary Japan and Canada, with a focus on disaster governance and misinformation
Université Laval
Episode: Radioactive Governance: The Politics of Revitalization in Post-Fukushima Japan with Maxime Polleri (NYU Press, 2026)
Evelyn María Dean-Olmsted
Linguistic anthropologist researching language and identity in Jewish Latin America
Rosoff Consulting
Episode: Coming of Age As Syrian Jewish Mexicans: The Pragmatics of Diaspora with Evelyn María Dean-Olmsted (Brill, 2025)
Verena Meyer
Assistant Professor of Islam in South and Southeast Asia at Leiden University
Leiden University
Episode: Theologies of Remembering: Modernity, Ambiguity, and Transcendence in Islamic Indonesia with Verena Hanna Meyer (U California Press, 2026)
Thomas Fuchs
Professor of Philosophical Foundations of Psychiatry
Heidelberg University
Episode: In Defence of the Human Being: Foundational Questions of an Embodied Anthropology with Thomas Fuchs (Oxford UP, 2021)
David Shuang Song
Author of Multiracial Mandarin, Asian Americans and Impossible Language
University of Oklahoma (Assistant Professor of Asian American Studies and Sociology)
Episode: Multiracial Mandarin: Asian Americans and Impossible Language with David Shuang Song (U of Minnesota Press, 2026)
Raluca Roman
Lecturer in Social Anthropology at Queen's University Belfast
Queen's University Belfast
Episode: Kaale Belongings and Evangelical Becomings: An Ethnography of Finnish Roma with Raluca Bianca Roman (Brill Schöningh, 2025)
Gareth Breen
Assistant Professor in Anthropology at University of Sussex
University of Sussex
Episode: Sublime Sociality: An (Auto)Ethnographic Theory of Chinese Christianity with Gareth Breen (LSE Press, 2026)
Pankhuri Agarwal
Author of Fictions of Freedom, Migration, Modern Slavery and Bureaucracy in India
King's College London (lecturer); Cambridge University Press publication
Episode: Fictions of Freedom: Migration, Modern Slavery and Bureaucracy in India with Pankhuri Agarwal (Cambridge UP, 2026)
Brenda Sendejo
Author of Chicana Spiritual Activism, Making Change, Making Soul
University of Arizona Press
Episode: Chicana Spiritual Activism: Making Change, Making Soul with Brenda L. Sendejo (U Arizona Press, 2026)

Host

Miranda Melcher
Host in the New Books Network; frequently collaborates on anthropology-related content.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 141 ratings
  • Beautiful and Soothing

    Wonderful to feel connected and grounded in today’s troubling world.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Lily Scott - One Love
    United States2 years ago
  • Good podcast; shame about the gambling ads

    Hi, i really appreciate this podcast, but think that running gambling ads is in questionable taste given the disproportionate impact of gambling on the marginalised

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Hugo JH
    Australia2 years ago
  • It's a common belief that if you can't explain something simpl, you don't understand it. That doesn't naturally lead us to deliver all knowledge for the lowest common denominator, but most maybe all, sources of information are being written for the person who won't understand it. This podcast has breaks from that bad habit. In a week I've heard ideas, sharpened from experience and repetition, delivered with thrust I've never met elsewhere.

    Audible
    5
    Nahvis
    United States5 years ago
  • mostly a podcast by experts for experts

    It's a common belief that if you can't explain something simpl, you don't understand it. That doesn't naturally lead us to deliver all knowledge for the lowest common denominator, but most maybe all, sources of information are being written for the person who won't understand it. This podcast has breaks from that bad habit. In a week I've heard ideas, sharpened from experience and repetition, delivered with thrust I've never met elsewhere.

    Audible
    5
    Jer
    United States5 years ago
  • Engaging and informative

    This podcast covers a wide range of books, and the conversations are really interesting.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    dkd84
    United States7 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some prefer shorter episodes for quick book overviews.
Fans appreciate hearing authors discuss complex ideas in approachable ways.
Listeners praise the breadth of scholarly topics and accessible interviews.
A few critics note occasional ad placements but overall high-quality analysis.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Immoral Traffic An Ethnography of Law, NGOs, and the Governance of Prostitution in India with Vibhuti Ramachandran (Cambridge UP, 2025)
Q: Why were women reluctant to testify as victim witnesses in trafficking prosecutions?
Some women had not wanted to be rescued or no longer trusted authorities; others lacked reliable details about traffickers, faced threats or financial offers, feared repatriation, or saw little benefit in lengthy court proceedings. Their circumstances and reasons varied, including among women who had been trafficked.
Immoral Traffic An Ethnography of Law, NGOs, and the Governance of Prostitution in India with Vibhuti Ramachandran (Cambridge UP, 2025)
Q: How did sex workers respond to the rescue operations, and what does that tell us about the way anti-prostitution law works in India?
The Delhi operation began after a trafficked woman sought help and several women wanted to leave, while women in the Meerut operation resisted rescue and said they had entered sex work voluntarily. The contrast showed how women's experiences and choices varied, and how NGO and police relationships shaped the interventions.
Down and Out in Utopia: Unemployment as Moral Education in Norway with Kelly McKowen (U Toronto Press, 2026)
Q: Do job-seeker courses actually work?
McKowen is skeptical that the courses consistently get people back into jobs, but says they can reduce isolation and help participants recognize shared experiences across social differences.
Valuing Nature at the Ends of the World: Natural Capital and Climate Disaster in Belize with Patrick M. Gallagher (Columbia UP, 2026)
Q: How much does all of this influence politics?
Although ecosystem service valuations in Belize had not produced substantial markets during much of Gallagher's research, large figures, including a reef valuation of half a billion dollars annually, circulated politically. They raised questions about who benefits from Belize's landscape and whether value was again being extracted, while sometimes producing anxiety rather than direct conservation outcomes.
Valuing Nature at the Ends of the World: Natural Capital and Climate Disaster in Belize with Patrick M. Gallagher (Columbia UP, 2026)
Q: What exactly are ecosystem services and natural capital, and how and why, when did they get developed?
Ecosystem services are things nature provides for people, such as water filtration, carbon sequestration and reef protection from storms. Natural capital describes ecosystems as assets that provide useful services, sometimes in place of infrastructure built by people. Gallagher says these ideas reflect changing approaches to conservation and value.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About New Books in Anthropology

What is New Books in Anthropology about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This series features in-depth conversations with scholars about recently published books across anthropology, history, and related social sciences. Episodes typically center on primary themes like colonialism, heritage, food systems, urbanism, gender, and multispecies futures, with a strong emphasis on ethnographic methods, regional studies, and interdisciplinary context. Guests are often established academics or rising scholars who bring historical, cultural, or theoretical perspectives to contemporary questions, making the show valuable for researchers, students, and professionals seeking nuanced, rigorously argued insights. A notable strength is the breadth of topics and geographic focus, which helps listeners discover new authors and cr... more

Where can I find podcast stats for New Books in Anthropology?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for New Books in Anthropology. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to New Books in Anthropology and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does New Books in Anthropology get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for New Books in Anthropology, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for New Books in Anthropology?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for New Books in Anthropology, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does New Books in Anthropology have?

To see how many followers or subscribers New Books in Anthropology has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to New Books in Anthropology?

These podcasts share a similar audience with New Books in Anthropology:

1. New Books in Critical Theory
2. Free Thinking
3. London Review Bookshop Podcast
4. Acid Horizon
5. For The Wild

How many episodes of New Books in Anthropology are there?

New Books in Anthropology launched 16 years ago and published 1059 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact New Books in Anthropology?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for New Books in Anthropology?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for New Books in Anthropology from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for New Books in Anthropology?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of New Books in Anthropology. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on New Books in Anthropology?

Recent guests on New Books in Anthropology include:

1. Maxime Polleri
2. Evelyn María Dean-Olmsted
3. Verena Meyer
4. Thomas Fuchs
5. David Shuang Song
6. Raluca Roman
7. Gareth Breen
8. Pankhuri Agarwal

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days