Topic: Anthropology

Mo introduces Melville J. Herskovits, a Jewish-American anthropologist considered the "Elvis of African-American studies." Herskovits is credited with establishing the "Out of Africa" cultural continuity narrative in the 1940s. Mo questions why a white academic was allowed to define Black identity for the 20th century and how this "ownership" of the narrative persists in modern museums.

Ann Dunham’s work in Indonesia for USAID and the Ford Foundation is linked to intelligence gathering. Her persona is compared to feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who admitted to being a CIA operative. The segment suggests that Dunham’s anthropological research served as a cover for state-sponsored activities in rural Java.