MAN – it sure has been an active fortnight with first #anthroislam and then #body – we find our heads still spinning, and understand fully if you feel the same! Thus, despite of the infinite temptation to dive right back into the pool of endlessly fascinating & compelling topics to address, this week we resist this temptation by choosing to #CHILL! Yet, we do so Allegra-style, of course, meaning no idleness, but rather more food for thought on these topics of past weeks.
Let’s first begin by taking a look back, and there is no better guide for this than our NEWSLETTER! Indeed, although not always vigorously advertised, Allegra’s very own NEWSLETTER continues to make its appearance every Friday, summarising both all the fanciful excitement of our website AND the manic energy captured by our social media interactions in Facebook & Twitter. Since we too feel that on occasion it may all amount to a bit – well – MUCH, we hope that like us, you enjoy the calmness that the newsletter offers. Nobody can send you instant messages while you savour its delights, and no new updates appear constantly to compete for your attention. Thus, please enjoy: our Newsletters featuring #ANTHROISLAM and #BODY!
What our Newsletter also shows is how events of our website are linked to ongoing discussions in the social media. And here we have discovered that both #anthroislam and #body are very much in the air at the moment. Judged by the feedback our posts have received and what we have seen in the social media, there is plenty of interest in the diverse sides of Islam, including the #HAPPY MUSLIMS as well as #MIPSTERZ – and despite of our recurring predictions to the contrary, the entire #HAPPY phenomenon continues likewise to thrive. Allegra will of course continue with these discussions also in the future.
In regards to #BODY last week was, of course, all about the #BEARD particularly in Europe, but the theme of ‘gender-nonconformity’ seems to be a hot one also more generally. And how could we ignore the the topic that some claimed anthropologists to fear – clearly not Allegra – addressed by Jon Mitchell and Gavin Weston in their brilliant post with the equally fantastic hashtag #flatulanthropology!
We can already note this to be a topic of VAST anthropological interest – not only did this post become one our most ‘liked’ Facebook entries ever, but it also become instantly one of our most read posts of all time. We could hardly be prouder of ourselves!
So what does this Allegra week bring? In the spirit of #CHILL, we continue exploring #anthroislam & #body as well in our posts as in our social media interactions. We’ll also continue gently with another ongoing thread, namely our discussion on Borders via a wonderful post by Ruben Andersson. We also take a firm look into some fantastic anthropological excitement to come – namely the EASA in Tallinn in July-August. Allegra will be your ears and eyes at the event, being present both physically and virtually. We have already set things going here with our sneak preview discussion with Noel Salazar, President of the EASA, and this week we introduce our ‘EASA guy’ – Felix Girke!
All this and then some – for this would hardly be Allegra if there weren’t also some surprises in store, as well to you, Our Dear Readers, and us, your dedicated editorial team. We are thrilled to welcome you onboard once again – and hope you continue enjoying our shared ride!
