Serendipity and the Craft of Anthropology

In this lecture, Emma Tarlo reflects on her long-term engagement in the craft of anthropology and her experiments with developing new forms of anthropological non-fiction writing and exhibition making. Drawing on experiences which range from tracking the global trade in human hair across different continents to sharing food and friendship with two men living without shelter near her home in central London, she argues for the importance of serendipity in anthropological research and shares what she has learned about putting anthropological ideas into practice both in writing and in life.

Tarlo is Professor Emerita of Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her recent books include Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair (Victor Turner Prize 2017) and Under the Hornbeams. She was a Cullman Fellow at the New York Public Library (2024–25).
Chair on behalf of The University of Edinburgh:
Janet Carsten, Professor Emerita of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Event timing:

• 15:45-16:15 Arrival and registration
• 16:15-17:00 Professor Emma Tarlo's Lecture
• 17:00-17:15 Audience Q&A
• 17:15-18:15 Drinks reception
  

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Host or Publisher College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences