About
Naama Cohen
Anthropologist of Mind & Technology | Researcher | Writer
I am an anthropologist of mind, studying how technologies, objects, and everyday practices shape perception, social relations, and modes of being in the world. Based between Copenhagen and Israel, my work moves across anthropology, psychology, and phenomenology, with a focus on how culture is lived through the body, material environments, and habit.
My research treats practice as a primary site of knowledge. I am interested in how thinking is learned through doing, how daily rhythms organize mental and emotional life, and how people come to imagine and experience their own inner worlds and those of others.
My professional trajectory bridges academic research and technical practice. With a background as a software developer and formal training in Sociology and Cognition (BA, The Open University of Israel) and Medical Anthropology (MSc, University of Copenhagen), I work at the intersection of analytical rigor and applied inquiry, translating complex theoretical perspectives into grounded insights.
Publications
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Cohen, N. (2023). "Embodying the Mindset of Computer Programmers". MSc Thesis, Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen.
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Cohen, N. (2023). "7. oktober knuste mit hjerte. Men mest af alt indså jeg, at mit studie ingen plads har i sit hjerte til mig og mit folk" [October 7 broke my heart. But most of all, I realized that my field has no room in its heart for me and my people]. Politiken, December 8, 2023.
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Cohen, N. (2026). "איך דנמרק דורשת רלוונטיות מהאקדמיה שלה" [How Denmark Demands Relevance from Its Academia]. Mako, January 2026.
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Cohen, N. (2025). "Den globaliserede intifada rammer også danske jøder" [The globalized intifada also affects Danish Jews]. Politiken, December 29, 2025.
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Cohen, N. (2025). "Den indre kulturkamp" [The Internal Culture War]. Weekendavisen, September 19, 2025.
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Cohen, N. (2025). "Israelsk antropolog: Min veninde hængte et israelsk flag på sin altan på Nørrebro. Så kom problemerne" [Israeli anthropologist: My friend hung an Israeli flag on her balcony in Nørrebro. Then the problems came]. Politiken, January 15, 2025.
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Cohen, N. (2025). "Taxachauffør truede med at dræbe babyer, jøder og alle danskere: 'Jeg vil dræbe alle, der ikke elsker Hamas. Okay?'" [Taxi driver threatened to kill babies, Jews and all Danes: 'I will kill everyone who doesn't love Hamas. Okay?']. Berlingske, January 17, 2025.
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Cohen, N. A Phenomenological Exploration of Programming. (Under peer review)
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Cohen, N. When Curiosity and Humility Were Lost: Reflections from the Margins of Anthropology. (Under peer review)
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Collaborative Book Project (Forthcoming 2025). Reflective work on post-October 7 Israel (co-authored with H. Hagag Berger, Dr. Shirly Bar Lev, Dr. Michal Assa-Inbar, Dr. Liora Sarfati, Dr. Tova Makhani-Belkin, and Dr. Hagit Kuriel.)