EDWARD C. GREEN: ON THE FRINGE
On this episode of Big Blend Radio, Edward C. Green he discusses his memoir, “On the Fringe: Confessions of a Maverick Anthropologist.”
Medical anthropologist, former Harvard AIDS Prevention Project director, and former member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS bares his personal and professional adventures as a rebel researcher and intrepid traveler in his stunning memoir, “On the Fringe: Confessions of a Maverick Anthropologist” (Black Rose Writing, October 19th, 2023).
At a young age, Edward “Ted” Green rejected his privileged upbringing and was considered the “black sheep” of his elite family. Eventually turning away from academia, Green pursued applied field research to prevent infections from HIV, cholera, and other diseases found especially in developing countries across the globe, beginning in Southern and Eastern Africa and eventually across the entire globe. Green takes the reader on an intimate and thrilling journey through diverse corners of the globe, giving on-the-ground insight into the world’s most fascinating cultures, such as the Suriname Maroons (descendants of escaped enslaved Africans in the Amazon rainforest), “spirit mediums” in Nigeria, sex workers in Tanzania, Shaolin masters in China, and Samaritans in Palestine.
With vulnerability and candor, Green also reflects on his notable career as an anthropologist: how he helped transform public health initiatives while battling periodic anxiety and depression and deep-seated Impostor Syndrome. He underscores the importance of outsiders understanding local, indigenous knowledge and wisdom as crucial tools in developing public health programs. He also delves into paranormal phenomena, both his own as well as those he encounters in countries like Nigeria.
Green’s memoir is a deeply moving, expansive account of his adventurous life as a self-proclaimed rebellious anthropologist– and his uncommonly fearless approach will encourage others to dig more deeply and honestly into what it means to live an authentic, boundless life.
