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“Ghosts” is a song that explores how the “unseen” influences the everyday. It attempts to portray how “absent presences” leave deep imprints on our bodies and memories through familial bonds, language, and taste. These “ghosts” are both echoes of ancestry and culture, and the silent weight of our search for belonging and self-location within layered identities. The song seeks to reveal the tangled emotions between “home” and “elsewhere,” and how everyday gestures are entangled with invisible histories and destinies.

This piece was selected as one of the winners of the AAA’s AnthroDay Student Unessay Competition. This year’s competition was inspired by the Annual Meeting theme, “Ghosts.”

Authors

Zixuan Wang

Zixuan Wang is an 18-year-old high school student who has chosen a non-traditional path of education. He previously attended the high school attached to Beijing University of Technology in China. Some of his research is published in peer-reviewed academic journals. He is also a leader of three NGOs.

Cite as

Wang, Zixuan. 2025. “Ghosts: A Song.” Anthropology News website, April 3, 2025.

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