The Hollywoodization of Anthropologists

Think quick: When did you first see an anthropologist represented in movie or film?

For me, it was the first time I watched an episode of Doctor Who (w/the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, and his trademark long scarf). Though he was from an(other) world, and was not ever described as an anthropologist, it was his spaceship--the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension(s) In Space) that gave it away...

So. While anthropologists were busy representing/writing others, Hollywood (and the BBC) was also busy "writing" anthropologists. See my partial list below, and feel free to add other titles you may be familiar with. All quoted text is cited from wikipedia entries.

King Kong (1976):
Jeff Bridges as a primatologist
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989):
Harrison Ford as a “fictional professor, archaeologist and adventurer"
Bones (2005-):
Emily Deschanel as Temperance “Bones” Brennan, a forensic anthropologist “loosely based on the works of real-life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs”
Krippendorf’s Tribe (1998):
Richard Dreyfuss as a “respected anthropologist” (who, by the way, fakes a documentary about a fictional tribe); Barbara Williams as an anthropologist who is the wife of Richard Dreyfuss’ character; and Jenna Elfman as an anthropologist
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003):
Angelina Jolie as archaeologist Lara Croft
Gorillas in the Midst (1988):
Sigourney Weaver as Dian Fossey (in turn inspired by the life and work of Louis Leakey)
Relic Hunter (1999-2002):
Tia Carrere as “unorthodox American archaeologist”
The Nanny Diaries (2007):
Scarlett Johansson as Annie Braddock, an NYU grad who wants to be an anthropologist
3rd Rock from the Sun (1996-2001):
Jane Curtin as anthropologist Mary Allbright
The Life (2005):
Denise Richards as an anthropology student who starts off studying prostitution, and then decides to make a little money "on the side"
Instinct (1999):
Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Ethan Powell, an anthropologist who studied gorillas before mysteriously disappearing
Mysterious Ways (2000-2002):
Adrian Pasdar as Declan Dunn, an anthropology professor at the Northern University of Oregon

As I've thought about this list, questions and thoughts about the gendered representation of anthropology within and outside of the discipline are ever present....after all, when I was a kid, I wanted to be Tom Baker. Didn't you?

First Day of School

My daughter had her first day of kindergarten a couple weeks ago. I videoed her response to the question "How are you feeling on your first day of school?" She said, "Uhhmmm....I'm a little nervous, but that's okay, because I'm going to try my best and just relax and have a good time!"

Apparently, you really can learn everything you need to know about life in kindergarten--or by listening to your kid as they prepare for kindergarten.

It's my first day at work for the semester--three meetings in a row. Typical academic menu of activities I suppose...

In the midst of all this, I just want to make note of two future posts/essays:
1) Thoughts on the Hollywoodization of Anthropology
2) The Cartouche, Amy Winehouse, and Bratz Dolls: A Commentary on Talismanic Identities