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
“The Anthropology of Digital Practices” by John Postill
“How We Became Human: And Why We Need to Change” by Tim Dean
“The Interpretation of Cultures” (foundational text on “thick description”) by Clifford Geertz
“The Anthropology of Empathy” by Douglas Hollan and C. Jason Throop
“Lost in Dialogue: Anthropology, Psychopathology, and Care” by Giovanni Stanghellini
Podcasts
“The Emic - Anthropological stories from the field” by Roanne van Voorst (Spotify)
“Welcome?” Podcast series exploring post-colonial narratives of belonging
"Empathy Gym [Hidden Brain]" By Shankar Vedantam, Parth Shah, Tara Boyle and Jennifer Schmidt
“In Conversation with Claire Yorke” by Anthroprospective
“In Conversation with Tim Dean” by Anthroprospective
“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