Quotes from Gillian Tett

With people dying outside on the streets of Dushanbe, studying marriage rituals did sound exotic—if not irrelevant.

Tunnel vision is deadly. We need lateral vision. That is what anthropology can impart: anthro-vision.

the workers were careful when handling oil drums marked as "full." However, workers happily smoked in rooms that stored drums marked "empty." The reason? The word "empty" in English is associated with "nothing"; it seems boring, dull, and easy to ignore. However, "empty" oil drums are actually full of flammable fumes.

the need to make the "strange familiar," to make the "familiar strange," and listen to social silence.

Cultural patterns in the media mattered too.