What do the best metal band in Botswana, the Icelandic special forces and the best water skier in Luxembourg have in common? According to TEDxKraków 2012 speaker Keith Kahn-Harris (and the book he’s currently writing), quite a bit, and it all has to do with small worlds and their secret lives.
Keith’s obsession is with communities and small worlds – subcultures, in a nutshell. His previous work focused on two subcultures in particular: extreme heavy metal and the British Jewish community, and he’s managed to find that these sub-subcultures have quite a bit in common. His current book is a further exploration of “big fish in small ponds” and what we can learn from them about the power of small in a world that’s increasingly focused on the big.
In his talk, Keith will explain how he became obsessed with finding the best water skier in Luxembourg. This quest taught him the vital importance of “small worlds” in the modern world and how we need to value the expertise present in obscure communities.
Keith Kahn-Harris is a London-based sociologist, writer and community activist. He describes himself as being “professionally curious” and loves to discover communities and hear their members’ stories, and wants to cultivate that curiosity in small worlds.
You’ll be able to hear him and our other speakers (with many more soon to be announced in our “Introducing the Speakers” series)