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Andrew Alan Johnson

@andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social
1.4K followers 824 following 707 posts

Anthropologist at Stockholm University. Senior historian, Firaxis. Water, ghosts, ruins, games. สนใจเรื่องไทย แม่น้ำโขง andrewalanjohnson.com www.dukeupress.edu/mekong-dreaming

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Reposted by Andrew Alan Johnson
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 09/10/2026
Princeton University’s praise of Anne Carson attracted criticism, as social media users highlighted that Princeton had denied her tenure — a highly coveted continuous teaching position — in the 1980s.
nyti.ms
Princeton Celebrates Anne Carson, a Nobel Prize Winner Who Was Denied Tenure
Carson, who was awarded the Literature prize on Thursday, was denied tenure when teaching at the university in the 1980s, leading social media users to mock a congratulatory message.
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Mae Nick Phra Khanong @nickjbrumfield.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
In 1973, the Thai military set up a right-wing paramilitary group called the Red Gaurs (Krating Daeng) In 1976, the same year the group carried out the Thammasat Massacre, the Krating Daeng energy drink came on the market in Thailand In 1984, Krating Daeng began to be sold globally as Red Bull
A Red Gaurs paramilitary patch showing a red bull against a yellow trident on a blue backgroundThe Krating Daeng logo showing two red bulls against a yellow circle on a blue backgroundThe logo for Red Bull showing two red bulls against a yellow circle on a white background
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Giada Zavarise ➡️ AdvX @cheerfulgoth.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The funniest/saddest reaction to this amazing article has been people going "wait, Stellaris has WRITERS?" Yes folks, if a game has words... someone probably got paid to write them... even if that game isn't an RPG or a visual novel...
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
(If I have it right) that the technology has invaded so many aspects of our lives already that it’s not just Claude or Gemini. That’s it. But the rush to find a moral judgement really exposed a lot of shallow takes.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
…even unknowingly use AI just by using information technology these days. What shallow readers understood was “critiques of AI are invalid because the critics use AI.” But he wasn’t saying critiques are invalid, or that critics are hypocrites. Rather…
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
AI is a part of it in that it becomes an authority. “ChatGPT says…” but it’s broader than that. When we go through looking for the good guy/bad guy in an argument, we’re also choosing moral judgement over nuance. So what Josh was saying was “it’s impossible to not…
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Did Josh delete the post? Anyway, it was an example of something that people were interpreting as a moralistic argument but was actually analytic.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Yeah - I get this in my teaching a lot too - students want to identify what the right thing to say is… not what they might actually think if they thought about it
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The replies and qts to Josh were pretty crazy, but all united by a common demand: "clearly signal 'good' or 'bad.' Do not try to make a complicated point." This I think its a problem when we spend too much time online. We just want to say "agree/disagree" and not think.
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Xun-ling Au 歐迅灵 🏴 @xunlingau.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Great to see a write up of Dr Lalita Hanwong's lecture bar session "Myanmar in the Thai imagination: The politics of memory, Representation and Othering" Brings up some important points about how since the 1920s Thai elite have cultivated a nationalist ideology by focusing on external enemies.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
RIP to James T Siegel, one if the last true anthropologists out there www.sup.org/books/anthro...
sup.org
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Conversations I have with Swedes follow this trend. “I admire the US and would like to visit [cool place], but I am worried about being detained at the airport. Maybe when Trump is gone.”
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American Ethnological Society // American Ethnologist (journal) @amethno.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Congratulations to Professors Morris and Rutherford, and thank you for these extraordinary books! This year's Senior Book Prize committee consisted of Mohamad Junaid, Amira Mittermaier, and Adriana Petryna. Huge thanks to our committee for their work on and commitment to this scholarship.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Georges Bataille, Erotism (1957)
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Well said, Danilyn!
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wennergrenorg.bsky.social @wennergrenorg.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
In Anthropology News, Wenner-Gren President Danilyn Rutherford and others respond to the, "Report on the State of Scholarship in the Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences." Read it now! www.anthropology-news.org/topics/anthr...
anthropology-news.org
Anthropology Defended Archives - Anthropology News
Jeff Maskovsky, Emily Metzner
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jess @jessfrom.online · 24/09/2026
 “And, for an instant, she stared directly into those soft blue eyes and knew, with an instinctive mammalian certainty, that the exceedingly rich were no longer even remotely human.”
― William Gibson, Count Zero
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This year, I’m doing my conferences either here in Europe where I can take a train (or a quick flight with EU passenger protection) or on Zoom
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Less dramatic, but still annoying - flight from Delhi to Toronto. Cancelled. “We’ll try again tomorrow night. So that’s a night and a morning in a very basic airport hotel on the side of the highway in Delhi. Not cool going out Delhi, but all night traffic noise Delhi.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Eventually I tell the baggage guy I’m not waiting around and he says he’ll call his friend to take me to Newark (friend is a taxi driver, it’s ok). I make it in, get a couple hours sleep, then realize that there’s no transport from airport hotel to airport.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It’s an hour or more to Newark. That’s a $200 Uber. The array of chatbots just keeps shipping me to new sites. Also, there is an alarm constantly going off. I’m still trying to figure out where my bag is (“just wait” the guy says. I wait an hour. Nothing) It’s now 1am
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Similar stories: I (graciously) accepted the “take the flight next morning, we’ll get you a hotel and give you cash” deal from delta once (JFK-ARN). I get out of the gate and find out: -they lost my bag -my replacement flight is out of Newark -they do not have transportation
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Warwick Anderson @wombatscholar.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Congratulations to my brilliant colleague Sophie Chao: last week an ARC Future Fellowship for 4 years, this week a University Research Excellence & Inclusion Prize - Thompson. The Prize is awarded to high-performing women for researcher development @arc-gov-au.bsky.social @acadsocsci.bsky.social
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Judith Beyer @judithbeyer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Breaking: this is huge for the people of #Myanmar - a telecommunication company from Norway (Telenor) has been charged in court with aiding crimes against humanity after the attempted coup of 1 Feb 2021. they had handed over customer data to the military. #accountability www.ft.com/content/4b9a...
ft.com
Telenor charged with aiding crimes against humanity in Myanmar
Norwegian authorities say telecoms group handed sensitive customer data to military junta in wake of 2021 coup
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anthrofuentes.bsky.social @anthrofuentes.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Not often in agreement the @wsj.com but am here: "Want to Succeed in an AI World? Study Anthropology" www.wsj.com/lifestyle/ca...
wsj.com
Want to Succeed in an AI World? Study Anthropology
College students and workers alike are finding a new set of skills is needed for a rapidly changing workplace.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
career.paradoxplaza.com/jobs/8350481... Here’s that paradox gig
career.paradoxplaza.com
2D/UI Artist - Paradox Interactive
Are you a Passionate and dedicated 2D/UI Artist with experience working in the game industry? Are you interested in helping Paradox Development Studio to take Crusader Kings 3 UI to the next level?
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Paradox was looking for 2d/concept on CK3. Mikael Anderson had posted the link around somewhere.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Reading this site, I realize I’m old. 9/11 was a defining moment for me. I was evacuated from work and climbed to the roof to watch the smoke rise. I did not feel patriotic, but vulnerable. Afterwards, the paper jingoism of GWB radicalized me. It looked like fascism. And here we are.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Interview with the Geek Anthropologist now out! thegeekanthropologist.com/2026/09/09/c...
thegeekanthropologist.com
Civilization and Gaming Anthropology: An Interview with Andrew Alan Johnson
TGA Managing Editor Emma Backe interviewed Andrew Alan Johnson, an anthropologist who also serves as the Senior Historian for Sid Meier’s Civilization VII. They talk about working in the gami…
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Here’s a simple life hack. If you’re waiting on a delivery window, the way to make the driver show up immediately is to get into the shower
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
How many professors could be hired on Lane Kiffin’s compensation?
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I’m around! Let me know; I’d love to hang out. (Next week I’m in Madrid, but after!)
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Congrats! I can’t wait to grittily attempt to survive and probably die horribly!
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Academic career path. I’ve lived, and not just visited: 🇺🇸 🇹🇭 🇰🇷 🇸🇬 🇫🇮 🇩🇰 🇮🇳 🇸🇪. And I am also very very tired.
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Ash Parrish, Kotaku's LeBron James @adashtra.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Those mountains are older than the concept of trees and bones and you WILL respect them
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I’ve just published a new article on the ethnography of the weird, looking at ghosts, dreams, and what it means to take ethnography seriously. Out in Cultural Anthropology, open access. journal.culanth.org/index.php/ca...
journal.culanth.org
View of Encounters at the Edge of Night: An Ethnography of the Weird | Cultural Anthropology
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Partial eclipse in Stockholm
A crescent sun in an orange sky obscured by clouds
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Pretty clearly it’ll be this guy
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I don't know any general guidelines - I'm not involved in our payments to subject matter experts. I can talk about my own experience if it's helpful, having worked for a couple companies. DM me.
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
This is the stuff. Right here. This is a relevant issue small enough to fix, but huge enough to make a difference. This is how local governance should be.
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Erin J. Wamsley 🧠📈😴 @wamsleylab.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Colleges should not have athletics. period. DI and DII athletics programs are a financial drain on universities. Competitive sports bears no relation to our academic mission. Take that $ and give it to expanding need-based financial aid. #edusky #academicsky
chronicle.com
94% of Division I Athletics Programs Lost Money
Minnesota State at Mankato trims 60 jobs, U. of Alaska cuts out-of-state tuition, and visa limits pose revenue risk.
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Mae Nick Phra Khanong @nickjbrumfield.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
It's interesting moving from West Virginia, where all the industrial jobs getting offshored to places like Thailand created a certain Rust Belt vibe growing up, to suburban Bangkok where all the industrial jobs getting offshored to China has created a very similar Rust Belt-y atmosphere
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I think there’s an aspect of this resonance that drew me to CM also - I grew up in an area where kind of soulless suburbs were being built and used to climb through the house frames, hang out in storm drains. Like being backstage when the suburban dream was being built
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Here’s the plan: 1) more sausages in games. Better cheese. 2) smoking now mandatory. Techno or jazz now mandatory. 3) all characters wear tracksuits. 4) philosophical deep dives in every game, regardless of genre
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
So I guess I’ll hear from you tomorrow
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Any time, Emma
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Prof Katherine Schofield 🇬🇧🇦🇺🇪🇺 @katherineschof8.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
This is hands down the best opinion piece you will read on the Arday case. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The takedown of Jason Arday has overjoyed the right, and must be a wake-up call for the left | Jason Okundaye
The Cambridge academic has rightly now resigned. But that won’t end the targeting of senior black figures or the lazy way institutions promote faux equality, says Guardian columnist Jason Okundaye
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
James C. Scott, Seeing Like a State (1998)
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Andrew Alan Johnson @andrewalanjohnson.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Hell yeah Emma
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
The effective federal corporate income tax rate: 1950: 50% 1990: 25% 2020: 13% Stop asking "but how we will pay for it?" Restore the corporate tax rate. That is how we will pay for it.
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