Book Talk: Anthro-Vision

A talk by Dr. Gillian Tett, Editor-at-large, US of the Financial Times

More about Anthro-Vision:
For over a century, anthropologists have immersed themselves in unfamiliar cultures, uncovering the hidden rituals that govern how people act. Now, a new generation of anthropologists are using these methods in a different context – to illuminate the behaviour of businesses and consumers around the globe.

In Anthro-Vision, Gillian Tett – bestselling author, Financial Times journalist, and anthropology PhD – reveals how anthropology can make sense of the corporate world. She outlines how anthropology helps explain consumer behaviour – revealing the ‘webs of meaning’ that underpin our shopping habits, and unpicking the subtle cultural shifts driving the rise of green business. She explores how anthropology can shed light on the workplace, identifying the hidden tribes within the office, and pinpointing which rituals are binding together a team. And she shows how we can all use anthropology in our own lives, too: helping us make better decisions, navigate risk – even work out what our peers are really thinking.

Along the way, Tett draws on stories from Tajik villages and Amazon warehouses, Japanese classrooms and Wall Street trading floors, all to reveal the power of anthropology in action.

The result is a wholly new way to understand human behaviour. In a short-sighted world, we can all learn to see clearly – using the power of Anthro-Vision.

More about Dr Tett:
Gillian Tett is chair of the editorial board and editor-at-large, US of the Financial Times. She writes weekly columns, covering a range of economic, financial, political and social issues. In 2014, she was named Columnist of the Year in the British Press Awards and was the first recipient of the Royal Anthropological Institute Marsh Award. In June 2009 her book Fool’s Gold won Financial Book of the Year at the inaugural Spear’s Book Awards. Tett’s past roles at the FT have included US managing editor, assistant editor, capital markets editor, deputy editor of the Lex column, Tokyo bureau chief, and a reporter in Russia and Brussels. Tett holds a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge, where she studied marriage rituals in Tajikistan. Her book Anthro-Vision: How Anthropology Can Explain Business and Life was published in 2021.

October 25, 2021
2 – 3:15 pm EST, Zoom
Admission: Free, with registration
Registration: Register here

View the full fall schedule here.

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