2008 Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC)

The 2008 EPIC conference will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, October 15–18. Theme: Being Seen: Paradoxes and Practices of (In)Visibility. For call for papers, submission deadlines and conference details see www.epic2008.com or contact Melissa Cefkin at mcefkin@yahoo.com. Deadlines: April 18 (extended paper abstracts), May 19 (workshop proposals), June 30 (artifact submissions).

AAA annual meeting: Inclusion, Collaboration & Engagement

The AAA have announced the theme of their 2008 conference: Inclusion, Collaboration & Engagement. The call for papers covers a lot of the themes that have been very central to this blog, including the public role of anthropology as an engaged, as well as applied, discipline.One of the framing statements reflects a sentiment that has been expressed on this blog a several times: “Anthropologists, scholars in other disciplines, and the general public have begun to recognize that anthropology has a great deal to contribute in this era of globalization. Still, our discipline remains a mystery to many and we are often not approached when social science information is needed”. Indeed, this would appear to be a direct response to the main concerns raised by Hylland Eriksen in Engaging Anthropology when he asks why a discipline which should have so much of relevance to say to the wider public about the world we live in remains relatively obscure to most people. I think it’s heartening that the AAA is willing to put this sort of question at the centre of its next annual meeting. It will be interesting to see what comes from it.

Here is the full text of the call for papers:

Inclusion, Collaboration & Engagement

The theme for the 2008 AAA Annual Meeting in San Francisco is “Inclusion, Collaboration and Engagement.” This theme provides us the opportunity to critically examine anthropology’s relationships: across subfields, with other disciplines, with our many publics, and with contemporary social problems. The Executive Program Committee envisions healthy debate as we confront methodological, ethical, and epistemological concerns that unite and divide us; as well as discuss the challenges, risks, and opportunities for growth enabled by this dialog.

Inclusion, Collaboration, and Engagement are ideas that have been central to anthropology throughout the discipline’s history and they are particularly important today. Anthropologists, scholars in other disciplines, and the general public have begun to recognize that anthropology has a great deal to contribute in this era of globalization. Still, our discipline remains a mystery to many and we are often not approached when social science information is needed. Moreover, anthropologists are conflicted about whether and how to participate in important public debates. Although there are the myriad attempts to develop a public interest anthropology, we are also wary of activism and public engagement, particularly as we recall government influence on anthropology during times of war.

This theme deserves our scholarly exploration. Analysis of the processes that promote inclusion, collaboration and engagement for positive human outcomes is a common area of interest for both academic and applied/practicing anthropologists, as is clear communication of anthropological perspectives to the wider public.

Inclusion

Anthropology’s historic mission to study humanity through the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities by definition requires the inclusion of multiple disciplines. For example, paleoanthropology and archaeology depend on chemistry, zoology, botany, geology and other disciplines to date sites and interpret data. Similarly, linguistic and sociocultural anthropology regularly include perspectives from other disciplines, including history, philosophy, psychology, and political science. Moreover, there is much merit in an enhanced inclusive dialogue between the branches of anthropology. Cultural and biological anthropology, for example, have opportunities to work together in examining themes such as race, disease, and the environment. Many applied and practicing anthropologists have joint roots in anthropology and other professions such as public health, urban planning, education, business, international development or social work. Their work relies on and contributes to these other disciplines as well as anthropology.

Inclusive anthropology implies more than a holistic or interdisciplinary approach. It suggests research problems and relationships that explicitly address the knowledges and concerns of those who have been relegated to peripheral zones of analysis and theory because of preconceptions about the seemingly static division of intellectual labor. Bringing diverse voices and epistemic perspectives onto the discipline’s center stage—and enlarging that space according to a less hierarchical logic—is consistent with anthropology’s historic principle of inclusion.

Collaboration

Working together toward a common goal is a central characteristic of anthropology, where collaboration may describe work done by teams of anthropologists from diverse subfields or research done by a single anthropologist working together with a subject. For example, heterogeneous research teams in physical anthropology and archeology assemble to address complex intellectual problems. Additionally, the relationship between anthropologists and many Native American tribes might now be best described as collaborative. Native American tribes often require that all anthropological work conducted on reservations directly and actively involve tribal members in the design, implementation, and dissemination of research that addresses problems with contemporary relevance to their tribes. This reconceptualization of the researcher-subject relationship both suggests new challenges and reveals exciting opportunities to improve research and ensure it engages community needs.

Anthropologists who use participatory action methods engage in a knowledge production process that converts “informants” into research consultants and collaborators. These methods can empower local people to have a voice in government and corporate decision-making. Beyond invoking notions of partnership and the sharing of ethnographic authority rhetorically, many anthropologists work to build concrete collaborative relationships in community settings. The benefits, challenges, and contradictory outcomes of collaboration are worthy of examination and constructive self-criticism.

Engagement

Engaged anthropology has many dimensions. Engagement is becoming a key value in college and university settings where anthropologists recognize that relationships with local publics and community organizations are essential to higher education. From both within and outside of academia, engaged anthropologists have examined public policy issues related to welfare reform, immigration, and protection of indigenous knowledge and rights, and have joined with local participants to instigate and sustain government and community change.

In this area anthropology has much to offer, but the discipline has not yet decisively stepped forward. This year’s theme provides an opportunity for academic and applied/practicing anthropologists to engage in dialogue to set a new agenda for making anthropology increasingly relevant to key issues in the twenty-first century, including social identity, economic growth, cultural preservation, peace-making, and environmental and social justice.

ASA 2008 in Auckland

The Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth (ASA) is holding its 2008 meeting in Aukland, NZ, for a pleasantly antipodean change; it will be the first time in at least five years that the conference will be held outside of the British Isles, and the first time ever for it to be held in New Zealand. They are joining with the ASAANZ (Association of Social Anthropologists of Aotearoa/New Zealand), and the AAS (Australian Anthropological Society).

The conference theme is Ownership and Appropriation, which “aims to extend anthropological theory, by shifting the focus from ‘property’ and ‘property relations’ to notions and acts of ‘owning and appropriating’.” The deadline for proposed panels is March 1st and the deadline for paper abstracts is May 1st. The conference will be held from 8-12 December. I wish I could say “join us!” but I won’t be attending as I have already planned to be doing fieldwork in Cairo that December. Instead, let me urge you to join them — them including, among others, superstar anthropologist, dear friend, and former Princetonian Susanna Trnka, who is at the University of Auckland, which is hosting the event.

L.L. Wynn

A round-up of news coverage of the AAA meetings

Usually anthropology is only in the news when some new theory about Neanderthals is announced. But in the past week, anthropology has been all over the news, thanks to the American Anthropological Association meetings in Washington, D.C. which just ended a few days ago.

Before I left for the meetings, I fantasized that every night I would post some news from the day’s events on Culture Matters. I diligently took notes during the sessions on anthropology and the U.S. military, but between the intensity of the perpetual overlapping meetings (at one point I actually ran back and forth four times between two panels that I was trying to follow simultaneously) and the jet lag, I barely opened my computer. Now that I’m back, I see that journalists have covered the AAA meetings better than I possibly could have done, so instead I thought I’d just provide a round-up of the coverage and links to recently published stuff.

Indigenous policy reform in the Northern Territory

Below is an announcement about an extraordinary seminar dealing with the events following the release of the Little Children are Sacred report.  I’m sure that a lot of people who can’t make it to Darwin would be very interested in hearing what the speakers have to say.  I will check if there are plans to share the papers/speeches in some form.

You are invited to attend a public forum on

Indigenous policy reform in the Northern Territory

An extraordinary debate for extraordinary times

Hear local and International experts discuss the federal government’s recently announced reforms, which are reshaping Indigenous policy in the Northern Territory, and debate the outcomes and possible solutions.

When: Friday, 20 July
12:45pm - 3:30pm
Where: Charles Darwin University
Casuarina Campus
Mal Nairn Lecture Theatre
Admission is free and light refreshments will follow

Speakers will include:

Professor Elizabeth Povinelli
Anthropology and Gender Studies Co-Director,
Centre for the Study of Law & Culture, Columbia University

Olga Havnen
Deputy CEO,
Northern Land Council

Professor Allan Patience
Professor of Political Science,
Charles Darwin University

Professor Gary Robinson
Director, School for Social and Policy Research,
Charles Darwin University

Ken Parish
Law Lecturer,
Charles Darwin University

Upcoming workshop. Practice and Practicality: anthropology in Indigenous Australia

In the wake of the recent discussion generated about the Little Children are Sacred report and the subsequent government reaction, members of the Australian Anthropological Society have arranged a workshop about anthropology and indigenous Australia.

One of the main points of the workshop is to question what the practical limits of anthropology in both its “applied” and “engaged” modes might be. Seems like a very important discussion to be having at the moment, and although I won’t be able to attend myself I would be very interested to know what is discussed. Maybe I can find someone who would be willing to provide a summary of the day’s papers and discussions…

Here is the description of the workshop:

9am – 5pm, Monday October 29

Workshop organisers: David Martin, Ben Smith, Kevin Murphy & Kati Ferro

This workshop will be held ahead of the AAS conference in Canberra. It aims to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas around anthropological practice about, with, and for Australian Indigenous people. It aims to transcend the ‘applied’ – ‘academic’ divide, but is specifically focused on those forms of anthropological practice which seek to have ‘practical’ effects. The conference theme is particularly appropriate given recent events regarding Indigenous affairs in the Northern Territory.

The workshop will consist of four interrelated sessions.

• The limits of and on anthropological practice
• “Making a difference” - intentions and effects
• Communicating anthropology
• Can anthropology speak to the Indigenous condition? In what contexts? And to whom?

Each session will be of 90 minutes duration, and involve no more than three presentations. While presentations may be based on written and pre-circulated papers, to allow adequate time for discussion each will be limited to an absolute maximum of 15 minutes. However, while time is limited, in keeping with our theme we encourage diversity in positions, subject matter and modes of presentation. For example, we would suggest people consider jointly developing panel presentations for all or part of any of the four sessions, which could involve shorter presentations by panel members, and potentially more time for audience participation. A panel presentation could be for an hour, for instance, or for the full 90 minutes.

In the first instance, we are calling for expressions of interest for presentations or panels. Each expression of interest should consist of:

• The session in which the presentation would be located;
• Presenter or panel members;
• Presentation or panel title;
• A short abstract of no more than 250 words (300 in the case of panels)

For more information, go the conference page at www.aas.asn.au, and follow the links to the Indigenous workshop.

Hope to see you there!

Dave Martin

____________________________

David Martin

Executive Member

Australian Anthropological Society

www.aas.asn.au

Social cohesion symposium at Macquarie

Here are the details of an upcoming symposium to be held at Macquarie.

National Social Cohesion Symposium:
Australian Muslims - Growing Together or Apart

29 June 7pm Macquarie University

As a framework for living with cultural diversity the ideal of
multiculturalism has come under increasing attack in recent years both
in Australia and overseas. In the last two years a subtle shift in
policy and discourse has begun to take place involving a greater
emphasis on notions such as ‘integration’ and ’social cohesion’. This
shift in debate comes at a time of increased concern in some circles
over the ability of certain ethnic communities, especially Muslims, to
integrate into Australian society, despite Australia’s reputation as a
nation committed to the notion of a ‘fair go’. This symposium will
provide a platform for informed debate on these current trends in
Australian multiculturalism.

21st Century Anthropology Conference

I don’t necessarily think the role of a blog like this is to advertise conferences and such things but the description of this upcoming conference in touches on a number of points that have been raised on this blog recently, including the questions of anthropologists acting as public intellectuals. Of central importance here is how anthropological insights can be applied (i.e. communicated) in broader contexts beyond the discipline. Not surprisingly the conference features a keynote address by Thomas Hylland Eriksen, as well as Akhil Gupta.

Here’s the description:

21st Century Anthropology: Global Process and Power

Conference
28 – 29 June 2007
Rhodes House
University of Oxford

As an academic discipline, Anthropology is equipped for a thorough understanding of the increasing frictions and problems in today’s shrinking world. Its ethnographic approach and historical awareness provide for a thick interpretation of the interweaving of causalities that spark clashes or power abuses. And yet this perception and meticulousness does not inform the broader ‘ecology of ideas’ that influences both public opinion and governmental policy makers. While many anthropologists are involved in agencies and foundations with hands-on projects or policies, our discipline has not made the major
contributions its intellectual power calls for. It is still easy for powerbrokers to ignore reports that few people are aware of.

This conference is a platform for a dialogue about ways in which anthropological research on current global conflicts can engage a world of asymmetric power relations. Mediating understandings may offer an opportunity for a rich dialogue that could reduce tensions and apprehensions. It is not simply about writing
popular books, but rather about engaging in a comprehensible dialogue with other disciplines and perspectives.

Website: http://anthro21.org

Podcasts from Applied Anthropology Conference

The Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) is holding their 67th Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida March 28th to 31st. There are ten sessions scheduled to be recorded at the conference. The sessions will be made available, free to the listener, as podcasts beginning April 7th. One to two podcasts will be published per week and the files will be available for about a month.

Two trends

Two trends in anthropology are becoming visible through the conference circuit. The ASA is devoting its 2007 annual meeting to “Thinking Through Tourism” (www.theasa.org/asa07). This is quite a sea change, considering five years ago hardly any anthropologists thought tourism was more than a sort of frivolous epiphenomenon of society.

The other trend is that anthropology is beginning to digest the new calls on it from government, military and intelligence (primarily in the US, and to some extent the UK and Australia) to provide “expertise” in “the War on Terror.” The first reaction to CIA recruiting was an uproar in the AAA and a committee that was organised within the organisation to deal with this concern. But now people, it seems, are beginning to reflect about this “cultural turn in the War on Terror,” as Hugh Gusterson called it at the panel organised at the AAA in San Jose last November (http://www.aaanet.org/press/an/0107/albro.html). Interestingly, this panel brought together prominent critics (including Laura Nader) with anthropologists who actually work for the US military, including Australian Montgomery McFate.