Anthropology Students Research Articles

Why Should One Study Anthropology?

Unlike the other social science disciplines, anthropology has a broader scope in terms of its theory and methods. It is a holistic discipline which covers all aspects of human being. Nepal has relatively short history of anthropology as teaching discipline. However, it has more than two hundred years of research tradition in Nepal. A score of foreign and native anthropologists have been carried out the research in Nepal. Compare to other disciplines, there are relatively getting research fund from the foreign universities and development agencies. Recent data of the central department of anthropology shows that employment rate of the pass out students in master’s degree in anthropology is higher. But why the number of students enrolled in graduate and undergraduate is low. Taking this issue into consideration, this paper answers the question of low number of student enrolment in the various constituent colleges of Tribhuvan University. The Paper is based on ethnographic interviews with some graduate/ undergraduate students and faculty of Tribhuvan University. There are some reasons to be a low number of students in anthropology: Anthropology demands rigorous and continuous study on the subject matter where original texts are taught. In Nepal, people not only common people but also intellectual including professionals have little knowledge about the distinction between sociology and anthropology due to a long experience of joint department, Tribhuvan University. Importantly, there is no realization from Tribhuvan University administration and Government of Nepal why anthropology is important for the development of the nation. Paper answers these issues.

The cost of being qualified: Current barriers faced by graduate students in forensic anthropology.

When considering the best ethical practices in forensic anthropology, one must consider how accessible the field is to new students that are responsible for driving the future of research, pedagogy, and the field as a whole. While there is no denying that there are multiple barriers to accessing academia (e.g., racism, sexism, xenophobia, etc.) the cost of a graduate education is a key factor that affects the diversity of people that are able to enter the field. Here, the cost of 24 universities prominent in the education of forensic anthropologists are considered in tandem with the opportunities for funding offered by these institutions and average costs of living for the respective surrounding areas. Demographic data for the universities at the graduate and undergraduate level was additionally compared with the demographics of the cities surrounding the universities. Funding, excluding loans, was shown to be greatly below cost of living in university cities, and often did not match the costs of attendance estimated by institutions. Including the cost of living, the average graduate degree costs over $60,000 per year while the average stipend for graduate students is below $14,000 necessitating the need for loans or out-of-institute support. White individuals were overrepresented in graduate enrollment when compared with surrounding area demographics, even when university demographics were similar to those of the surrounding area. Overall, findings highlight the inaccessibility of pursuing higher education for minority groups and demonstrate the need for institutions to develop funding programs to promote diversity in higher education.

Bilingual intercultural education and the construction of Quechua-Aymara citizenship among university students in the Altiplano region

In this study, we analyzed intercultural bilingual education and the construction of Quechua-Aymara citizenship among university students in the highland region. A quantitative methodology with a non-experimental, descriptive, and correlational design was employed. The sample consisted of 130 Sociology and Anthropology students from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the National University of the Altiplano–Puno, using surveys with questionnaires as data collection techniques. The results revealed a moderate positive correlation (r=0.444) between intercultural bilingual education and the construction of Quechua-Aymara citizenship, with this correlation being statistically significant (p<0.001). This finding suggests that strengthening intercultural bilingual education fosters greater awareness and civic engagement among Quechua and Aymara students. However, low levels observed in both variables highlight the urgent need to improve educational programs to promote inclusive, respectful, and responsible citizenship toward cultural diversity.

Advancements and Challenges Forensic Odontology and Anthropology: Applications for Identification in Saudi Arabia

The evolution of forensic science has witnessed significant progress in dental identification techniques, originating from prehistoric eras but gaining prominence in the late 19th century. During the 1960s, forensic odontology experienced renewed interest, extending its relevance beyond dentistry to law enforcement agencies. This resurgence coincided with the emergence of forensic anthropology, vital in employing skeletal analysis to reconstruct the biological profiles of unidentified individuals. Collaborative efforts of forensic dentistry and anthropology have notably enhanced the accuracy and scope of forensic investigations, especially in cases involving incomplete or decomposed remains. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, despite cultural challenges, the significance of multidisciplinary collaboration to assist the law enforcement agencies cannot be overstated. As forensic science advances, the integration of dental and skeletal analyses remains crucial for effective case resolution. Forensic odontology and anthropology jointly contribute to identifying individuals in mass disasters and criminal cases through dental record and skeletal remains analysis. Both disciplines boast rich historical backgrounds, dating back to ancient civilizations. Limited practices and training in Saudi Arabia pose obstacles for forensic investigations, although there is evident public acceptance regarding the importance of maintaining dental records and recognizing skeletal analysis significance. Therefore, establishing a national registry for dental and skeletal data, coupled with comprehensive training programs, is recommended for dentistry and anthropology students at all academic levels.

Student’s knowledge on primates: Long-tailed macaque educonservation efforts through primatology course

Within 15 years, the population of Macaca fascicularis has declined rapidly. In early 2022, the IUCN Red List classified them as “Endangered”, though they were considered a species of “Least Concern” in 2008. Land alteration, illegal hunting, and human-macaque conflict often halt long-tailed macaque conservation efforts. Through the Primatology course, anthropology students are taught the importance of macaque conservation and its complications. This preliminary study aims to reveal anthropology students’ knowledge regarding the long-tailed macaque’s status quo and its conservation efforts, pre- and post- their enrolment in the course. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, this study conducted in-depth interviews with 10 consenting informants—active undergraduate anthropology students. After the transcription process, the data was analyzed by dividing it into multiple subchapters and reviewed with existing literature. More than half of the informants’ knowledge about Macaca fascicularis and primates, in general, is quite satisfactory, though they are still unaware of their current conservation status. According to the informants, cultural and religious factors are closely related to long-tailed macaque conservation, shown in Balinese Hindu temples, Javanese wayang, and topeng monyet. The study concluded that primatology is important because it raises awareness about human’s closest relatives, their ecological significance, and their conservation measures. Adoption or adaptation of the ethnoprimatological framework in biology education as a means of sociocultural exploration and primate conservation is highly recommended. Further research on ethnoprimatology in Indonesia is much needed since Indonesia has many cultural values that might assure the people about contemporary conservation efforts

Online Slot Games Addiction Phenomenon Case Study of Cultural Anthropology Students Batch 2020 Isi Padangpanjang

This research discusses the phenomenon of game online slot addiction, a case study of Cultural Anthropology students class of 2020 at ISI Padangpanjang. The aim of this research is to describe the factors behind and the consequences of the online slot game addiction phenomenon in Cultural Anthropology students class of 2020 at ISI Padangpanjang. The theories used are Alfred Schutz's Phenomenology theory and Dominic Strinanti's Popular Culture theory. The research method used is qualitative research. Data collection techniques are field observations, interviews and documentation. The findings from this research are that there are several factors that make Cultural Anthropology students class of 2020 addicted to playing online game slot online, such as: high curiosity, trying out luck, filling in gaps, and a friendly environment. Then the consequences caused by gameslotonline addiction include dependency, lack of sleep and disturbed activities, not focusing on studying and talking dirty and rude.

Ethnography as Playful Relational Encounter: Collaboration and Translation between Film and Writing

This co-authored paper presents a PhD student in anthropology and his primary interlocutor describing collaborative filmmaking as a space ethnographic encounter. They explore how their “ethnographic B movie” (Epp 2024) approach afforded a novel opportunity to perform subjectivity beyond norms of researcher and interlocutor relations and representation. The article was inspired by discussions around Epp’s recent conference presentation about the challenges of representing Ross between film and dissertation writing. An engagement with that presentation, situated within Nicholas Bourriaud’s concept of relational aesthetics (2002), forms the atmosphere of this article. As a relational text, the article creates an encounter that speaks across research relations in which the subject of research reflects on being represented in ethnographic film and writing. This article describes an arts-based fieldwork approach where it’s not the outcome of research that matters most but instead cultivating the relational encounter between ethnographer and interlocutor becomes the critical intervention.

Anthropology from different angles: a tale of the neoliberal arts

A discipline’s value depends on the institutional position of its valuers. In U.S. liberal arts undergraduate education, trustees, marketers, and parents routinely link disciplinary value to “return on investment”. This market logic is evident in rhetoric equating a discipline’s worth with the cost of department maintenance and the lucrativeness of careers pursued by majors. Yet students are also expected to buy the liberal arts experience as a whole package, a logic that makes all majors interchangeable. These contradictory dynamics provide undergraduate anthropology students with a profoundly teachable illustration of U.S. neoliberalism.

How career ready are your students? Reflections on what we are (not) teaching anthropology students

AbstractDespite the growing market in industry, government, and non‐profits for anthropologists, and their evident success there, anthropology has no real framework for teaching students about the practical applications of anthropology. This pattern appears at all degree levels—bachelor's, master's, and PhD. With that in mind, the Anthropology Career Readiness Network set out to investigate and identify some of the main gaps in academic training with respect to practice. Using Delphi surveys, we queried practitioners about perceived gaps in their training. The results showed that respondents felt quite underprepared in terms of job search strategies. They also lacked skills in transferring anthropology to workplace settings and explaining the value of their discipline to people in those settings. Although sobering on one level, our study points to a clear path ahead for curriculum development. The Network continues to work with practitioners, students, and instructors to build our collective capacity to prepare people to enter the workplace of their choice and to thrive there.

“You Speak Ukrainian Very Well”. Language Encounters during Ethnographic Fieldwork

Some students of anthropology must be familiar with passages from Bronisław Malinowski’s work (1981), in which, based on his personal field experience gained in the Trobriand Islands, he formulated guidelines and postulates defining a new type of research method in social anthropology. One of the most important aspects of Malinowski’s methodological manifesto was drawing attention to the fact that the language of the studied community is a necessary tool. Malinowski strongly emphasised that ethnographers cannot explore the culture of the studied communities, and especially their “spirit”, without knowing the language of the local people. Thus, the ability to speak the respondents’ language, in addition to long-term research, became a rubric for ethnographic studies. In this article, the starting point for the reflection on ethnographic presence in the field is the language and the ethnographer’s level of linguistic (in)competence. Using my own research experience as an example, I show that the language of locals spoken by ethnographers is not only a tool for communication with fieldwork partners, but also that the very use of this language and the level of its competence or the use of its specific variants can become, if ethnographic reflexivity is maintained, the subject of observation and reflection, revealing selected aspects of the explored community and its culture.

Fieldnotes from ethnographic research in rural areas of the Polish Jurassic Highland as a record of the process of becoming an anthropologist

This article is based on research conducted in rural areas of the Polish Jurassic Highland by first-year ethnology and cultural anthropology students as part of their first field exercises. One of their tasks was to keep fieldnotes, which provided an insight into the young anthropologists’ experiences. Based on an analysis of these notes, I decided to inscribe the process of becoming an anthropologist into the pattern of the rite of passage according to the model proposed by Arnold van Gennep. The purpose of the article is to analyze and interpret the students’ notes and present the point of view of a young researcher – including myself, the author of this article, who participated in this research – on the Polish countryside and the role of the field in the “anthropological initiation.” Making fieldnotes is not only a technique or method of producing anthropological knowledge, but also a source of information about the researcher’s inner experiences during their professional initiation. The article investigates how the specificity of the rural areas of the Polish Jurassic Highland (as the first research field) influenced the process of the symbolic transformation of a student into an anthropologist.

In an Antique Land: Locating the Dislocated

Abstract: Amitav Ghosh's most significant historical novel In An Antique Land (1992) deals with three major themes, as a student of anthropology the novelist's search for the life of Ben Yiju, a Jewish merchant originally from Tunisia, and his Indian slave Bomma, a native of Tulunad; his deep and penetrating insight into the cultural and social development of Egypt from the Crusades to operation Desert Storm; the dreams and aspirations of ordinary human beings and the effect of historical and political changes on their lives. To deal with these themes the novelist has selected the form of a traveller's tale, but this form is only a part of the entire design. Actually, the novelist desires to study the effect of history on mankind through this form. He arranges all the three themes brilliantly and systematically and successfully creates a unified story

Ethnographic Sound Archives Online

The Ethnographic Sound Archives Online is a collection of ethnomusicologists’ and ethnographers’ work, including sound recordings, video recordings, books, and field notes. The physical versions of these collections are held around the world at various archives and museums. The product allows professionals and students of world music, ethnomusicology, world cultures, and anthropology to access materials that would otherwise be hard to obtain. Even though it is not the largest collection of its type, being an Alexander Street product makes this product an inviting option, as many institutions are already familiar with the company.

“Maintaining hope for a better future”: An interview with Dr. Crystal Felima

AbstractWhile anthropologists have played roles speaking out for marginalized groups, formalized to combat Antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia, they have also aided in the marginalization and oppression of communities, justified colonialism, and put the communities they have studied at risk. In recent decades, anthropologists have rethought the way research is conducted, presented, and justified to reduce harm to communities. Despite these shifts, anthropological training has been slow to include activist work by women of color and other marginalized people, leaving anthropologists‐in‐training with limited concrete guidance on how to apply their anthropological lens to social justice. Addressing this gap, this article centering a Black feminist analysis offers an interview conducted between anthropology students and a professor of anthropology, giving insights into how anthropological thought can be applied to activism and advocacy. Centering Black feminism is not only important to redress historical marginalization within the discipline. By centering the lives of marginalized people within an intersectional lens, Black feminist analysis provides a mandate to rethink theoretical models, such as political ecology, the dominant frame anthropologists have used to address disasters and climate change. Also importantly, centering Black women's bodies and embodied experience uncovers the urgent necessity for self‐care during fieldwork. Prof. Felima embodies both these challenges, and offers candid advice to students, inspiring a two‐way dialogue.

‘Anthropological Enough?’

Abstract In this article, we discuss how fieldwork completed ‘at home’ in the USA presented challenges and resulted in our work being considered not ‘anthropological enough’. Centring our article around our individual projects for which primary data collection was completed prior to COVID-19, we explore a variety of issues related to methodology and structural constraints we experienced as graduate students in anthropology and now as junior scholars. Drawing on our experiences conducting research in the USA, we posit how anthropology might move forward in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and foster a more inclusive discipline. By challenging the notion of ‘anthropological enough’, we reimagine ways of conducting anthropology that are better suited for increasingly uncertain times, which call for collaborations rooted in social justice.

The slightly’ changes of occupation pattern, education, health and social behaviour: An Ethnographic insight in the age of Covid

The present paper has tried to discuss what “smart ethnography” is. It has endeavoured to focus on the current situation of ethnography in this pandemic time to some extent. Sitting at a computer desk, what we have seen, through the lenses of Smartphones, media coverage, and daily newspapers, what we observed, as a student of anthropology, is written in this paper. According to the view of social anthropology, this type of equipment has been regarded as the ultimate essential technological device for investigating human behaviour in a pandemic situation. At the beginning of the essay, remember that if we go back to armchair anthropology before Malinowski, where anthropologists had collected data from travellers and other sources, in the present situation, data is collected from the newspaper, the Internet, research papers, webinars, and mobile phones from the opposite side of the devices-the participant may be a respondent. Therefore, the concept of a researcher, or else fieldworker, and respondent slightly has changed under this pandemic situation due to the social distancing or physical distancing. The present paper discusses these issues at an initial stage.

Maria Czaplicka: Gender, Shamanism, Race [Maria Czaplicka: Płeć, szamanizm, rasa; Biografia antropologiczna

Maria Czaplicka: Gender, Shamanism, Race [Maria Czaplicka: Płeć, szamanizm, rasa; Biografia antropologiczna

“Where Do I Even Start?”: Exploring Resources for Anthropology Students’ College‐to‐Career Transitions

AbstractThis article explores the resources that are available, or should be made available, to support college‐to‐career transitions for undergraduate anthropology students. Using mixed methods, this research was conducted by undergraduate anthropology students at a small Christian college in Illinois and at a large public university in Kentucky, in conjunction with a wider project for the American Anthropological Association. Based on our two case studies, we argue that students, faculty, and career centers often do not effectively work together to provide and utilize career resources for anthropology majors. This lack of collaboration leads to students feeling underresourced and undersupported. This is partially due to student disinclination to use career center resources but also a result of the way career centers present themselves to students and faculty's inattention toward facilitating a connection between them. We end with recommendations for departments, career centers, and students to facilitate resource availability and use.

“There's a Lot You Can Do with It”: Anthropology Undergraduates Talk about Their Professional Futures

AbstractWhat do anthropology students think about their professional future? In what ways does the study of anthropology provide competencies or skills that will be useful in the workplace? Research fellows from Illinois State University, Indiana University, and St. Mary's College of Maryland conducted individual interviews, focus groups, or surveys of alumni or graduating seniors to examine narratives about the perceived usefulness of anthropology in securing and sustaining professional employment. Employing the metaphor of an “inverted funnel” shows that while an undergraduate anthropology major may appeal to a smaller range of the overall student population, hence the narrow end of a funnel, their education instills broad and critical thinking about issues, an appreciation for and ability to relate to human cultural and social diversity, and an empathic orientation to understand individual diversity. Thus, anthropology undergraduates successfully carve out job niches over a wide range of economic sectors and professions that are represented by the broad end of the inverted funnel.

Multi-Course and Faculty-Student Collaboration: Reflections on Implementing a Qualitative Research Project with Undergraduate Students

In this paper, we reflect on the development, integration, and implementation of a course-based, primary data collection fieldwork project for undergraduate anthropology students at the University of Guelph. Integrated across three courses taught between January-April 2022, we developed this project to provide students with the opportunity to build research skills and to broaden their understandings of how anthropological methods can be mobilized in timely, immediate ways, while at the same time engaging with diverse lived realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. We point to key factors that allowed for the success of this pedagogical experiment, which include established high levels of trust among involved faculty members; careful attention to timelines and organization; the distribution of project work among the faculty team; and choosing a topic that was timely, relevant, and engaging for students.