Conference Theme
The question for anthropologists is not so much whether we engage with communities— ethnography makes this inherent in our profession—but how we construct anthropological knowledge, how we use it and how we make it available to diverse publics. Driven both by our disciplinary sense of obligation and by broader institutional imperatives to make a demonstrable contribution outside the walls of academe (the current term is ‘outreach’)– anthropologists have sought a range of ways to engage the world, to affect public perceptions and to shape political decisions. This pattern of broader engagement brings with it distinctive consequences.
The discussion of anthropological engagement quickly leads not merely to ethical and political debate about how we should engage, but also to tactical and practical questions about how to balance our conflicting obligations with our own aspirations as scholars, activists and concerned citizens of the world. The ethics and politics of engagement, including opportunities and potential pitfalls, have been highlighted in a series of dramatic events, including the controversial involvement of anthropologists in the Human Terrain Systems project of the US Military and in public discussions of the Northern Territory intervention of the Australian government.
Our success as a discipline only makes these sorts of conflicts more likely; if we persuade the public and decision makers that inequality or subordination matter as much as human variation and culture ,they will approach us for advice on these subjects, even if we do not try actively to insert ourselves into important debates. The process is well under way, with anthropologists central to a range of endeavours, not least of which is the renegotiation of policy toward Aboriginal Australians, likely one of the only areas in the world where any public official has ever suggested that there might be a ‘shortage of anthropologists.’
This conference seeks to encourage anthropologists to reflect on the history of anthropological engagement and on new forms of collaboration and activism within our various areas of research. We also seek ethnographic research on social engagement, and the relations of power that simultaneously link and divide groups, in such phenomena as diaspora, class, migration, gender relations, trade, organization and communication. We welcome a broad interpretation of the conference theme, seeking to promote discussion across political formations and regions.
The discussion of anthropology’s engagement is part of a larger debate about the role of intellectuals in public life and the transformative power of both research and education. In an age in which educational priorities are being renegotiated and brutally re-made under economic and political pressure, making explicit the roles anthropologists play in seeking to analyse and influence communities, whether these be ours, someone else’s or both, is crucial to justifying our very existence.