Peeps contributors share their work with us because they are part of a conversation. Everyone has heard the popular saying: “It’s a small world”. This statement is believed to be more true today than ever before because of globalization and modern technology. However, our contributors know from personal experience and from extensive research that it is not a small world. The world, when looked at through the lens of culture and context, is vast: there are many stories to tell and many complexities to investigate. Our contributors know, and so do we, that culture is always changing, and that people are constantly in motion.
In light of this, and because Peeps Magazine is not a peer-reviewed publication, we aim to engage our readers in a conversation; to inspire a train of thought, or offer a new perspective. We will connect our readers with the world around them, providing interesting, accessible and insightful pieces on cultural shifts and changes around the world. We will challenge assumptions and provoke critical thinking. And we will never close the door on new thoughts or ideas.
More often than not, achieving this goal requires that we delve into cultures that are foreign to us. We will do this respectfully and mindfully, not as tourists, but as students, continually growing and learning to understand the world around us. We are nothing if not dogmatic about insisting that our contributors be explicit about their own contexts and filters as well as our own. A testament to that very commitment is a recent article on our Forum explaining a contributor’s (and our own) position on the complexities of qualified anthropological research. Our team is small and diverse, and each of us believes in the value of work done by human scientists in shedding light on the nature of communication, conflict, change, and all of the intricacies of day-to-day life. We believe that the world only seems small because we are not being provided context, and we would like to bring that context to our readers.
At this stage, just two years into our lifespan and on the verge of creating Peeps Magazine, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and what we can be. We are not a peer-reviewed journal, nor are we a regulated news source. We are not a “how-to” industry publication, nor do we offer any substitute for academic or professional training. We are not attempting to promote tourism or escapism. We are not for profit. We are not a marshmallow candy. We are a forum for people interested in people, bringing insights from the human sciences to an audience interested in being a part of conversation.
Anya Milana Sulaver,
Editor, Peeps Forum