Nostos Salon 04
A monthly gathering of good food, drinks, and conversation—where anthropology meets community in an engaging, accessible way.
Anthropology of Dialoge in Divided Times with Dr John Postill
Our fourth Nostos gathering, and our first for 2026, invited us into one of the most pressing questions of our moment: how do we speak, listen, and remain in relationship amid deepening social and political divides? Under the theme Dialogue in Divided Times, we came together to explore polarisation not simply as a political condition, but as a lived, emotional, and cultural reality.
We were welcomed with a rich and thought-provoking talk by Dr John Postill, whose work examines media, activism, and public discourse in digital times. Drawing on his anthropological insights, John encouraged us to look beyond headlines and hashtags to better understand the moral worlds, fears, and aspirations that animate opposing sides of public debate. Rather than framing polarisation as a problem of “bad actors,” he invited us to consider the infrastructures and framings, technological, social, and affective, that shape how disagreement unfolds.
Together, we reflected on the fragility and necessity of dialogue. What makes conversation across difference possible? Where does it break down? And how might ethnographic ways of listening, attentive, slow, and relational, offer an antidote to the speed and spectacle of online outrage?
Participants shared personal experiences of fractured friendships, family tensions, and moments of unexpected connection. There was honesty in the room, a recognition of both exhaustion and hope. As always, Nostos became a space not for easy answers, but for careful questions.
It was a grounding way to begin the year: a reminder that dialogue is not naïve, but courageous, and that anthropology offers tools for staying with complexity, even when it feels uncomfortable.
Special thanks to NON and NOW Wines for supporting this event.
Longer Reads | Articles
“Anthropology in the Age of AI: Why We Need More Empathetic Humans in Machine-Driven Futures” by Habitus
“Generative AI as Cultural Artifact: Applying Anthropological Methods to AI Literacy” by Jasper Roe
Podcasts
“Anthropology and Algorithms” by AnthroPod
“Anthropology and Artificial Intelligence” by World Anthropological Union
“Empire of AI: Inside OpenAI’s Race to Conquer the Future” by Karen Hao
“Anthropology, AI and the Future of Human Society” by Matt Artz
“How anthropology can make us more effective innovators with Dr. Fabio Mattioli” by Innovation Matters
“Esther Perel on New AI – Artificial Intimacy” by Ester Perel and Brené Brown
Podcasts
“Anthropology and Algorithms” by AnthroPod
“Anthropology and Artificial Intelligence” by World Anthropological Union
“Empire of AI: Inside OpenAI’s Race to Conquer the Future” by Karen Hao
“Anthropology, AI and the Future of Human Society” by Matt Artz
“How anthropology can make us more effective innovators with Dr. Fabio Mattioli” by Innovation Matters
“Esther Perel on New AI – Artificial Intimacy” by Ester Perel and Brené Brown
“Artificial intelligence is neither artificial nor intelligent. It is made from natural resources, fuel, human labour, data, infrastructures — it is material, political, and deeply human.”
― Kate Crawford
