I am not a fan of watching sports on TV but I like to be abreast of what is happening, especially from an anthropological point of view.
When we were growing up in Australia, Tennis and Swimming loomed large and the great athletes were heroes of a country, beginning to look for its own identity. Cricket was also huge in our imagination. I remember watching a one day cricket match at MCG between the West indies and Australia, without realizing that it would have a profound effect on my life and travels in the Caribbean, I did get to know the Caribbean reasonably well, the English and Spanish parts.
This week's US Open pitted two teenagers. their backgrounds were very interesting and a tale of the times .
Both were born in Canada, one of whom now is British.
The Canadian had an Ecuadorian father and a Filipino mother. She confesses not knowing much about the Philippines or Ecuador, except to say that my maternal grandfather cooks great filipino dishes.
On the other hand, the British teenager, whose father is Romanian and mother Chinese, talks proudly of her Romanian and Chinese backgrounds and in fact, can speak Mandarin and also visits her ancestral lands frequently.
The Chinese social media celebrated Emma's victory.
This is a wonderful moment, to see these two young women representing so many different cultures, and not to downplay the role of Canada and Britain in their victories.
To me Leylah is Canadian and Emma is British. I am happy Emma speaks Chinese, I am sure Romanian too. Leylah speaks Spanish and French, I am certain.
My interest in genealogies started long before I became an Anthropologist but studies in Anthropology (kinship system) only fired that flame.
Emile Durkheim is considered Father of Modern French Sociology and had influenced many an anthropologist, including his nephew Marcel Mauss (The Gift). I would dig a little deeper, the curiosity which is characteristic of my people, and find out that Durkheim's father was a Rabbi.
I wanted to know what made the great founders of modern anthropology (why rather than what?) become the persons they became.. and their personal journeys
Malinowski was British but was born into a Polish well off family.
Boas was American but was born in what is now Germany.
When I was reading Anthropology in London, we had lovely sessions with Prof. Adam Kuper (south african born, british) about the history of Anthropology. I had read Medicine previously and very proud to be a Physician but Anthropological education was a medal to be worn proudly on a Medical Uniform!
What a nice way to start a week in Miami..at the end of the week, I expect to be in another continent, as usual with the hopes of unexpected pleasures..
