Why do we post selfies in England and footies (photos of their feet) in Chile? How quintessentially English are we when it comes to our social media activity? These are a few of the big themes explored in Why We Post - a global social media research project carried out by a team of UCL anthropologists. Professor Daniel Miller, Professor of Anthropology at UCL, who led the project, and Dr Elisabetta Costa is Anthropologist at the British Institute at Ankara appeared on  Radio 4's influential Today show this morning to discuss the Why We Post project in more detail. 

• Click here to listen to their segment (starts at 2:54)

UCL Press is delighted to announce the publication of a major new series on the anthropology of social media, Why We Post. Based on the groundbreaking work of 9 anthropologists who each spent 15 months living in communities in China, Brazil, Turkey, Chile, India, England, Italy and Trinidad, the series explores and compares the results in a collection of ground-breaking and accessible ethnographic studies.

Studying not only platforms but also the content of social media has allowed them to gain a better understanding of not just why we post, but also the consequences of social media on our lives. Their findings indicate that social media is more than communication – it is also a place where we now live. 

The first three books in this series will be released on February 29th, and include: 

• How the World Changed Social Media
• Social Media in an English Village
• Social Media in Southeast Turkey

To sign up for more information on these, and forthcoming titles in the Why We Post series, click here. 

In addition to the books, the results of the project will be unveiled on UCL’s ‘Why We Post’ website (ucl.ac.uk/why-we-post) which will comprise more than 100 videos and 15 key findings.

The Why We Post team are also offering a free e-learning course in English on FutureLearn, at https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/anthropology-social-media/1and in seven other languages at https://extendstore.ucl.ac.uk/catalog?pagename=why-we-post.

If you've ever wondered why we post on social media, whether the rise of selfies is making us more narcissistic, or whether a factory worker in China uses these platforms in the same way as an Indian IT worker, you can find out more at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/why-we-post.

Paul Vincent's translation of Herman Gorter's Poems of 1890 has appeared in Times Higher Education's best books of 2015 feature. 

Chosen by  Geert Buelens, professor of modern Dutch literature, Utrecht University, the Netherlands, it is praised as  "...a rare gift to the English-reading world..."

He adds: "...Translating highly lyrical poetry is probably the most challenging thing for a translator, but time and again Paul Vincent succeeds in suggesting something of the genius of the most important Dutch lyrical poet..."

To read the full feature, visit: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/best-books-of-2015

Congratulations to Laura Vaughan, Professor of Urban Form and Society at The Bartlett School of Architecture, who has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (RHS).

We're delighted to share news of the eighth UCL Press title, Participatory Planning for Climate Compatible Development in Maputo, Mozambique.  

Edited by Vanesa Castán Broto et al, Participatory Planning for Climate Compatible Development in Maputo, Mozambique is a practitioners’ handbook that builds upon the experience of a pilot project that was awarded the United Nations ‘Lighthouse Activity’ Award.

Building upon a long scholarly tradition of participatory planning, this dual-language (English/Portuguese) book addresses crucial questions about the relevance of citizen participation in planning for climate compatible development and argues that citizens have knowledge and access to resources that enable them to develop a sustainable vision for their community. In order to do so, the author proposes a Participatory Action Planning methodology to organise communities, and also advances mechanisms for institutional development through partnerships.