The Anthropological Society of Western Australia – From ‘Engagement with the Community’ to an Instrument of Professional Discipline
Greg Acciaioli, University of Western Australia
This paper treats the historical transformations of the Anthropological Society of Western Australia (ASWA) from its origins to its current state. It traces the development of the society from the initial discussions concerning its origins through its expansion and absorption of professional functions up to its contemporary array of presentations and services. The paper treats not only the varying content of presentations for the public, but also the engagement of ASWA in such controversies as the Noonkanbah confrontation. It seeks to provide not only a history of events constituting the chronology of ASWA, but also to discuss some of the wider issues of social context that have conditioned the rise of public associations for disciplines like anthropology and their relative demise in contemporary conditions of globalisation and virtualisation of interests. It seeks to assess the society both as a purveyor of anthropological knowledge to a wider public and as a gatekeeper seeking to provide and enforce standards for professional practice in the field, hence disciplining through an anthropological gaze both professionals and the public.
