iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Courtney T. Wittekind

Melissa Johnson, PhD @ladyhistorian.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I am tired of having to pretend that the value of studying my discipline solely rests on the "marketable skills" we teach. Sometimes things are just worth knowing and doing because they make your life bigger and richer.

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

My daughter, a freshman in college, has texted me twice now to let me know she stopped by office hours to just chat with the professor

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Jason Momoa Makes a Heart Shape with Hands

ALT: Jason Momoa Makes a Heart Shape with Hands

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Julien Migozzi @jmigozzi.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

A beautiful thing in academia is the chance to meet and learn from smart people across disciplines, and let conversations simmer, allowing ideas to emerge and take shape. This was a great piece to write with a great team. Thanks to @ctwittekind.bsky.social and Elizabeth Resor for leading the charge!

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Courtney T. Wittekind @ctwittekind.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Very proud of this piece, and of our writing team

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Tim Newman @tnewmsblues.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Really cool new commentary about the “scam” under digital capitalism @ctwittekind.bsky.social @desireefields.bsky.social @jmigozzi.bsky.social @jovannarosen.bsky.social @lfalvarezleon.bsky.social doi.org/10.1177/2053...

Scams all the way up: The scam as vernacular analytic of digital capitalism

By Courtney T. Wittekind, Elizabeth Resor, Jovanna Rosen, Hilary Faxon, Kendra Kintzi, Julien Migozzi, Luis F. Alvarez León, and Desiree Fields

Abstract
Scams have proliferated under digital capitalism; so too have stories of scams and allegations of scamming. In this commentary, we focus on the latter to situate the scam as a “vernacular analytic:” an everyday mode of critique invoked to question the normative systems and institutions that rule our lives, but are experienced as exploitative or rigged. While this vernacular analytic is a powerful and pervasive means to highlight inequality, we argue that it obscures what is unique about scams amid capitalism's digitalization. In response, we develop a systematic approach to study this vernacular analytic as it circulates under digital capitalism. We propose three features of the scam as a vernacular analytic: critique at scale, the fallout of digital mimicry, and the exploitation of affect. This threefold framework provides a common foundation for empowering us to counter inequitable and exploitative systems by reimagining and rebuilding institutions and our trust in them. We argue that recognizing the power and pervasiveness of the scam as a vernacular analytic, and interrogating how scams operate under digital capitalism, are essential steps toward a future less vulnerable to digitally mediated exploitation.

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 20/08/2026

The State Department on Thursday designated U Min Zin, an American scholar arrested in China on spying charges in June, as having been wrongfully detained.

trib.al

State Dept. Declares U.S. Citizen in China Wrongfully Detained

U Min Zin, a scholar who studied Myanmar, is one of two U.S. citizens the department has designated as wrongfully detained in China.

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Reposted by Courtney T. Wittekind

Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I was just telling a reporter that most of the college presidents who have taken action have done so in the wake of moves from their faculty and other workers, not the reverse. Harvard is no different.

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Tea Circle Myanmar @teacirclemyanmar.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Hello World! We have a new BlueSky account and a newly designed website. Please help us test our "soft launch" version at: redesign.teacirclemyanmar.com

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Tea Circle Myanmar @teacirclemyanmar.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

The diaspora turns the lens on itself: the work is not the applause, it is folding the chairs. Cohesion: A poem by Ko Ko Aung. ဒေသစွန့်ခွာအသိုင်းအဝိုင်းတစ်ခု မိမိကိုယ်ကို ပြန်လှည့်ကြည့်လိုက်ခြင်း – အလုပ်ဆိုတာ လက်ခုပ်သံ မဟုတ်ဘူး၊ ပွဲပြီးတဲ့အခါ နောက်ဆုံးအထိ ကျန်နေပြီး ရှင်းလင်းသိ စည်းလုံးညီညွတ်ခြင်း

redesign.teacirclemyanmar.com

Cohesion

The diaspora turns the lens on itself: the work is not the applause, it is folding the chairs. A poem by Ko Ko Aung.

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Courtney T. Wittekind @ctwittekind.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Proofs are off, and reviews are in! City of Speculation: Unsettled Futures in Urban Myanmar will be out in mid-November. I can't wait for you to read it. www.sup.org/books/anthro...

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Courtney T. Wittekind @ctwittekind.bsky.social · 28/02/2024

My new article begins with a puzzle: Why would farmers support a controversial new city project so fervently as to hold a mass demonstration, demanding it be built “as fast as possible?” Surreal to see this out, with gratitude to the editorial collective, reviewers, and many generous colleagues.

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Talia Schaffer @taliaschaffer.bsky.social · 15/01/2024

Queens College just forced chairs to fire 26 of my colleagues, two weeks before the semester starts. They've lost health insurance and income, we've lost 79 sections and over 1600 students have lost their classes. Please help us protest! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

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Courtney T. Wittekind @ctwittekind.bsky.social · 13/11/2023

New article with Hilary Faxon on land sales, Facebook Live, and scamming in post-coup Myanmar: t.co/QKH3XTh1G0 What a pleasure it's been to contribute to this special issue on digital transformations in land, housing and property, edited by @FieldsDesiree @hilaryfaxon & Tom Wainwright

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Livestreamed land: Scams and certainty in Myanmar’s digital land market - Hilary Oliva Faxon, Cour...

Scams are endemic to digital capitalism, whether they manifest as bitcoin bubbles or bullshit jobs. Drawing on two years of digital ethnography in Myanmar’s Fac...

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Courtney T. Wittekind @ctwittekind.bsky.social · 13/11/2023

Off to #2023AAACASCAToronto —With a group of amazing anthropologists, we will talk about what it means to live in “uncertain times.”

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Lisa Messeri @lmesseri.bsky.social · 13/11/2023

How do we Bluesky at conferences? Completely overwhelmed by the AAA/CASCA program, and normally i would rely on twitter to find the fun panels. What do we do here? create a conference specific feed? what has worked for folks already and what are my anthro folks thinking of trying?

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Courtney T. Wittekind @ctwittekind.bsky.social · 25/09/2023

Now that my move from the other place is complete, it seems appropriate to start things off here with the best pic of my best bud.

A grey and white dog sitting atop a chair.

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