Applied Anthropologists Research Articles

Commentary: Bridging the Divide between Macro/Micro Perspective

Applied anthropologists involved in poverty research often face unique challenges in developing approaches to more effectively inform and help shape the policy making process at the macro level. Significant findings from micro level analyses ultimately reflect real world issues and experiences of the population studied; once shared, reciprocal feedback can potentially help to refocus or clarify macro social policy issues, thus effecting change and increasing positive outcomes in the development of future social policy. While most social programs are developed with the best of intentions, the discrepancies between the views of policy shapers and of those targeted by proposed policies tend to lessen the chances of success. This paper describes efforts to have an effect on social scientists working at a macro level. My postdoctoral research experience is used to describe the various stages, challenges and benefits associated with this process including: • developing the project, • identifying and securing the implementation site, • identifying potential partners at the site, • recruiting participants, and • building rapport and trust with all those involved.

Commentary Eyes for Hire: Applied Anthropologists of Education as Cultural Mediators Between Research Traditions

The present collection of articles is a welcome antidote to the stereotype of applied anthropologists of education as technicians rather than theoreticians, institutional enablers rather than social critics. These authors demonstrate that, despite institutional constraints and the problem-driven nature of their endeavors, applied anthropologists of education engage some of anthropology's most fundamental theoretical and methodological questions, and can foster an attitude of social critique even from within bureaucratic systems of social reproduction.

USING ANTHROPOLOGY OVERSEAS

Applied anthropologists commonly work overseas, particularly in the areas of international development and humanitarian assistance. The competencies or skill sets they bring to this work make them exceptionally well‐suited to succeed. At the same time, their training does not fully prepare them either to compete successfully for international assignments with other nonanthropologist candidates, or for some of the challenges they may face in the field. This article outlines the qualifications needed for employment in international development and humanitarian assistance, and breaks down these qualifications into categories. I then look in detail at how students, even in a very traditional anthropology program, can prepare themselves for employment as practitioners in the international arena. The article provides an outline of the structure of today's “development industry” and describes how development organizations identify and hire candidates. I describe how to use a simple Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) technique to establish one's own areas of particular strength before entering the job market. I then describe a simple and straightforward approach to job‐hunting, interviewing, and evaluating job offers. Throughout this article, I stress that although the strength and quality of anthropology's contribution to overseas work can be considerable, academic preparation alone is not enough—anthropologists who work overseas in development or humanitarian assistance must have more to offer than research skills alone, and must be able to work effectively with others, many of whom will come from different cultural and/or disciplinary backgrounds. I conclude by reminding practitioners in the field to maintain strong connections with their academic roots and to contribute to the transformation of anthropology from a discipline into a true profession.

An Interim Story of a Career as an Applied Anthropologist

Every life has a story, constructed out of realities we cannot change, events that form a backdrop, and the choices and decisions we make as we move through time and space. This chapter describes my own life story. My character is grounded in the affects of my birth, the values I was taught as a child, and the paths I was encouraged to pursue. But my emergence as a woman, a wife, and a mother, and as an anthropologist, came out of a desire to pursue new ways of looking at the world and studying it, as well as a series of events that shaped, defined, and redefined the pathways I felt were open to me. Along the way to today, I have been helped by many people, taken some chances, and confronted a number of challenges. I hope this narrative reveals to the reader something about the possibilities of life, both personal and professional, and the ways in which these have melded in my own life to create my story about a career as an applied anthropologist.

‘Teaching’ Practicing

In Spring 2005 editor Jeanne Simonelli taught Applied Anthropology to a mixed group of graduate and undergraduate students at Hebrew University. As part of the course, the class worked together to define Applied Anthropology in the context of Israel's complex cultural setting. They determined that: • Applied anthropology is designed to be useful to people and offer solutions to practical problems. It goes one step further than theoretical anthropology, where the primary goal is advancing new theoretical explanations. Applied anthropology takes the theory (of anthropology) into the practical day to day life of a given culture. • Applied anthropology focuses on populations that share a problem, an interest or a distress, using the knowledge, theory, ethnographic methodology and tools of analysis and understanding of anthropology, in order to provide tools to a specific culture that will assist in dealing with a certain situation. Applied anthropologists are involved in studying, designing, counseling, planning and evaluating policies, programs and organizational courses of action. • While taking into account cultural, ethnic, and gender differences, poverty and class, resources and power, applied anthropology tries to help solve human problems, local and global. A goal is to empower groups and individuals by making it possible for them to deal with cultural colonialism and other forms of social and cultural oppression.

Scrutinizing the Clinical Trials Process for Improved Patient Protection—A New Role for Applied Anthropologists?

With the recent extraordinary move by pharmaceutical giant Merck to pull its top-selling drug Vioxx from the worldwide market, the importance of protecting the public from potentially serious drug related side effects has taken center stage. As the news media highlights the cardiac dangers for patients taking COX-2 inhibitors, it has become apparent that clinical research around the world is in need of more methodological rigor. Clinical research could be enhanced if the contributions and divergent thought processes of field based disciplines are included in the development of these research protocols. As this global debate ensues, it is timely to consider how anthropologists can take a more active role to improve the design, execution, and coordination of clinical trials domestically and abroad. Recently, the Society for Medical Anthropology has advocated that anthropologists participate in shaping the ethical landscape of basic, applied, and clinical research. In an article called, "Bioethics and Anthropology: A Call for partnership." Kathleen M. MacQueen, Ph.D., MPH raises the important question: "How do we protect against exploitation without unduly constraining much needed health research that could, in fact, benefit vulnerable populations?"

Culture, Politics, and Toxic Dinoflagellate Blooms: The Anthropology of Pfiesteria

Applied anthropologists have joined forces with biological scientists in studying the community and health effects of toxic dinoflagellate blooms. This paper presents findings from a number of investigations of the cultural, political, and health consequences of Pfiesteria blooms. We argue that a unique role for applied anthropology is to identify the cultural models of pollution and health that individuals draw upon to understand complex environmental problems such as dinoflagellate blooms. We also argue that anthropology must consider the political factors that sharpen stakeholder interest in environmental events and that lead to competing policies and initiatives for natural resource management and use. We review prior studies dealing with Pfiesteria, discuss our field research, and conclude with recommendations for applying a holistic approach to the study of blooms and related environmental problems.

Commentary an Applied Anthropologist in Cuba

The following Commentary by Miguel Vasquez is not connected to the previous section on Practicing Anthropology in Cuba. Miguel urges us to re-examine some of the potential lessons of the Cuban social revolution as they might pertain to North American society and our views on Cuba. He challenges us to reconsider our criteria for ‘development’ and to engage in more dialogue with Cuban colleagues and citizens.—Editor

Introduction: Applied Anthropologists in Aging

The idea for this special section came out of discussions with the editor of this journal and Madelyn Iris who convened a special interest group at the 1997 SfAA meetings in Seattle. Dr. Iris is well-known to practicing anthropologists through her long association with SfAA and with NAPA and in the anthropology of disabilities. With the regular participation of the Association for Aging and Gerontology (AAGE) at SfAA meetings, it seemed timely to survey the field for the readers of Practicing Anthropology. For me (Rodin), my connection to the field has been a bit tenuous the last few years, but it seemed a good way to meet and reacquaint with colleagues of similar interests.

The Real World: Teaching Anthropology as if it Mattered

In James Peacock's 1995 address on the future of anthropology given at the AAA meetings in Washington, D.C., he spoke persuasively about the discipline's need to move "beyond the academy" and warned that in order for anthropology to flourish, "we must press outward" ("The Future of Anthropology," American Anthropologist 99(1): 9-29, 1997). Efforts to broaden anthropology's contribution to society "beyond the academy" are already under way, as Human Organization, this publication, and this column, in particular, attest. Specifically, renewed interest in public policy reflects the growing conviction that anthropologists' work today needs to be more relevant to decision-making. Applied anthropologists often express frustration at their lack of influence in decision-making processes. Again, as Peacock argues, "Applied anthropology is often a mop-up operation, identifying and solving problems caused by bad policy. Instead, anthropology must move to shaping policy." Efforts through the AAA, SfAA, and elsewhere suggest a turning point for applied anthropology and the discipline in general.

Robert Saunders and Civil Rights in Tampa

Applied anthropologists played a crucial role in building the intellectual framework and in providing a scholarly and creative foundation for the Central Avenue Legacies Project. However, community people, whose lives were influenced and changed by the rise and fall of the Central Avenue neighborhood, played significant and unique roles in this historical and educational endeavor. One of our primary collaborators and indeed, the man who provided many of the rich, detailed, and fascinating anecdotes about Central Avenue was Robert Saunders. His long history of work and activism in the community, his collection of letters, reports, and other historical documentation, and his very detailed memory made Mr. Saunders an invaluable resource throughout the project. During the planning process he served on the Advisory Committee, offering suggestions and wisdom. On the day of the event Robert Saunders actively participated as a guide on the walking tour and a panelist on the community forum.

Wanted: Applied Anthropologist, High Competence Required, for Low Pay

The title of the paper is meant to reflect an all too frequent situation for many anthropologists. It presents a familiar image of many applied anthropologists' employment and financial situations, yet their intense and confident belief in their subject's worth. The need to promote the value of applied anthropological skills and knowledge to corporations, government, and nonprofit organizations is currently a much discussed topic. Practitioners, working as applied anthropologists or operating within other disciplines, often find themselves isolated from colleagues unless they are connected to academia through teaching or applied research roles. Recent graduates of most M.A. or Ph.D. programs find no structure in place to aid in the search for employment. Instead, their job search is an exercise in tenacity, flexibility, and many times downward mobility.

Practical Computing

One of the most interesting recent developments in computer technology has been the rapid expansion of computer-assisted information exchange, including use of e-mail systems, local bulletin board services, and the World Wide Web. David Fetterman, Director of Research and Evaluation at the California Institute of Integral Studies and Director of the M.A. Policy Analysis and Evaluation Program in the School of Education at Stanford University, explores in this article the features, opportunities, and problems related to using computer information exchange technologies for teaching an ethnography course. Applied anthropologists may be interested in his experiences as they design, implement, and evaluate research and intervention projects involving computer-assisted interactive training components. Correspondence about this article should be addressed to David Fetterman, 601 Menlo Oaks Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025; Tel.: (415) 323-5339; Fax: (415) 725-7412; E-mail: davidf@leland.stanford.edu.

Community-Centered Praxis: Toward an Alternative Non-dominative Applied Anthropology

Applied anthropologists long have grappled with the problem of determining their appropriate relationship with target communities. Recently, Johannsen (1992) has proposed the development of a post-modern applied anthropology that would neither impose solutions nor even define community problems in need of response, but rather would use its skills and resources to foster indigenous community initiatives and self-representations. This paper strongly supports Johannsen's goal of developing what is here termed a nonimperialist praxis, but questions whether this goal can be achieved by incorporating the framework of postmodernism. An alternative approach, community-centered praxis, that directly addresses the thorny issue of partisanship, is proposed and illustrated using the case of the Hartford Needle Exchange Project.

Reciprocity and Sustainability: Terrace Restoration on Third Mesa

Applied anthropologists are now commonly involved at all levels in rural and agricultural development work in Third World countries. Corresponding efforts in the United States, however, are much less common. This can be attributed in part to increased scrutiny and skepticism concerning past research efforts, which are frequently seen as unilaterally beneficial to researchers and of little tangible long-term gain to local people. No where is this more true than among Native American populations. Leigh Jenkins, Director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office (HCPO), puts it quite succinctly: "Intruders are not welcome, especially if they come dressed as anthropologists… As any visitor will attest, it has become quite a challenge to prove one's sincerity, honesty, and fairness to the Hopis, especially if that visitor plans to do research" ("Forward" in Peter Whitely, Bacavi: A Journey to Reed Springs [Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Press, 1988]).

Use of ethnosexual data on men of Mexican origin for HIV/AIDS prevention programs

Applied anthropologists have unique opportunities to use their skills as ethnographers in the fight against HIV infection and AIDS. This paper presents some ethnosexual data on men of Mexican origin and shows how it was used in educational intervention programs in a health care agency setting in Orange County, California, to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Latino Populations.

Appendix 1: Archival Materials

NAPA BulletinVolume 7, Issue 1 p. 43-43 Appendix 1: Archival Materials First published: January 1989 https://doi.org/10.1525/napa.1989.7.1.43AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume7, Issue1Special Issue: Applied Anthropologist and Public Servant: The Life and Work of Philleo NashJanuary 1989Pages 43-43 RelatedInformation

Introduction/Anthropologist in the White House/Philleo Nash: The Education of an Applied Anthropologist/Philleo Nash: Anthropologist as Administrator/Philleo Nash and American Indian People/Celebrating Philleo's Life/Philleo Nash's Contributions to Anthropology and Beyond at American University/Philleo Nash: Model Applied Anthropologist and Public Servant/Philleo Nash and Georgetown Day School/References Cited

Introduction/Anthropologist in the White House/Philleo Nash: The Education of an Applied Anthropologist/Philleo Nash: Anthropologist as Administrator/Philleo Nash and American Indian People/Celebrating Philleo's Life/Philleo Nash's Contributions to Anthropology and Beyond at American University/Philleo Nash: Model Applied Anthropologist and Public Servant/Philleo Nash and Georgetown Day School/References Cited

Ann Arbor Area Association of Applied Anthropologists ("A‐6")

Ann Arbor Area Association of Applied Anthropologists ("A‐6")

Sources

Sources is a regular feature of Practicing Anthropology designed to inform the readership about anthropological practice. This is an activity of the Applied Anthropology Documentation Project at the University of Kentucky. The Project, sponsored by the Society for Applied Anthropology, the Washington Association for Professional Anthropologists, and the Society for Applied Anthropologists in Canada, is an archive collection of materials produced by applied and practicing anthropologists in the course of their work. The collection includes technical reports, social impact assessments, evaluation reports, research, and curriculum proposals.