Suchergebnisse

In this photo essay, I illustrate ethnographic encounters with dairying practices and dairy microbes in various regions of Mongolia. Drawing on fieldwork conducted during two consecutive summers this essay focuses on the sociocultural role of microbial starter cultures in producing diverse dairy products (such as fermented mare's milk) and in cross-generational knowledge transfer. The Mongolian word for starter culture is khöröngö, which also means capital and heritage. In this context, a sociocultural anthropological approach sheds new light on starter cultures as mobile entities of value across space and time.

The heavy burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia overwhelms the resources of this small population. Traditional cultural practices strongly influence all aspects of life, especially in the remote outer islands. The traditional Chiefs must grant permission to perform any type of health outreach or services for about one-third of the population. One key cultural practice promotes tobacco and alcohol use. The Yap Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, in collaboration with other entities in public health, systematically engaged the traditional Chiefs, resulting in a landmark policy that paved the way for other system and environmental interventions to reduce the risks of developing NCD.