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Podcast: New Books in Anthropology
Episode: When We Prioritize Data and Metrics, What Happens to Human Connections?
Description: Todayâs book is: The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World (Princeton University Press, 2024), by Dr. Allison Pugh, which explores the human connections that underlie our work, arguing that what people do for each other is valuable and worth preserving. Drawing on in-depth interviews and observations with people in a broad range of professionsâfrom physicians, teachers, and coaches to chaplains, therapists, caregivers, and hairdressersâDr. Pugh develops the concept of âconnective labor,â a kind of work that relies on empathy, the spontaneity of human contact, and a mutual recognition of each otherâs humanity. The t...