Applied anthropology
From Free net encyclopedia
Applied anthropology is a subdiscipline of anthropology that applies anthropological data, perspectives, theory, and methods to identify, assess and solve contemporary social problems.
Applied anthropologists often work for nonacademic clients such as governments, development agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), tribal and ethnic associations, interest groups, social-sever and educational agencies, and businesses. Ethnography and participant observation are the applied anthropologist's primary research tools. They also use textual analysis, survey research and other empirical methods to inform policy or to market products. An applied anthropologist is often likely to be employed in a non-academic setting.
Anthropologists have held three different positions about applying anthropology to identify and solve social problems. These include the ivory tower view, schizoid view, and advocacy.Template:Citeneeded
- Ivory tower view: anthropologists should avoid practical matters and concentrate on research, publication and teaching.
- Schizoid view: anthropologists should help carry out, but not make or criticize, policy.
- Advocacy: because anthropologists are experts on human problems and social change, and because they study, understand and respect cultural values, anthropologists should make policy affecting people.
This is a contrast to more academic sociocultural anthropology, which may be more concerned with creating theoretical models which correspond to its units of analysis, e.g. social inequality, performance, exchange, meaning, and so forth. Sometimes the research that falls within the applied field is referred to as "applied" in contrast to academic research, which is referred to as "basic."
Examples of questions that an applied anthropologist would attempt to solve might be:
- If an American buys diapers at 2AM on a Saturday in a grocery store, what is likely to be his/her next purchase?
- How can public health authorities promote condom use amongst members of a particular subculture?
- What measures could be taken to make sponge diving safer for Greek sponge divers?
- Why do people migrate to XYZ place or from PQR place?
The premiere journal in the US of applied anthropology is Human Organization published by the Society for Applied Anthropology.
Under the directorship of the RAI, Jonathan Benthall, author of The Best of Anthropology Today, created the annual The Lucy Mair Medal of Applied Anthropology. This recognizes excellence in using anthropology "for the relief of poverty or distress, or for the active recognition of human dignity."