Frances Larson

Anthropologist
Frances Larson explores the dark and varied obsessions that our culture has had with decapitated heads and skulls throughout history.

Why you should listen

Oxford anthropologist Frances Larson wrote Severed: A History of Heads Lost and Heads Found. The book, which she describes as a survey of our “traditions of decapitation,” was published in 2014, just before beheadings sadly started populating the front pages of the news once more. She previously wrote an acclaimed biography of Sir Henry Wellcome.

Frances Larson’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Frances Larson

Live from TEDGlobal

Soaring imaginations, harsh realities: A recap of TEDGlobal>London

June 16, 2015

Formula E racing, the darknet, a potential fountain of youth, and beheadings. At TEDGlobal>London — a two-session event curated and hosted by Bruno Giussani on June 16, 2015, at the Royal Institution of Great Britain — the talks ranged from a wildly hopeful future to stern warnings about the present. Enjoy these recaps of the talks in […]

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