Engaged Anthropology: Diversity and Dilemmas

Abstract

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Collaboration Between Management and Anthropology Researchers: Obstacles and Opportunities

“…In our review of journal articles, we observed that anthropology articles mentioned "colonialism" nearly 16 times as often as management journals and "racism" nearly 5 times as often. We are not surprised, given the selfconsciousness of the discipline about its ambivalent historical connection with colonial administrations (Baba, 2009;Comaroff, 2010;Low & Merry, 2010). Moreover, an anti-business bias within academic anthropology has been widely noted (McCracken, 2013;Moeran & Garsten 2012, 9;Schwartzman, 1993, pp.…”

“…For example, Nolan (2013a, p. 5), a senior anthropologist, wrote that much of what practicing anthropology has learned "has been studiously ignored by the academy." Even within the field of applied anthropology, Morais (2012, p. 276) claims that business anthropology is "marginalized" on account of its "engage[ment with] commerce" and apparent failure to help "to repair the world" as compared with most efforts at engagement (summarized by Low & Merry, 2010).…”

A Genealogy of Ethnography Helps understanding its Everlasting Relevance

“…He developed a framework for analysing adaptationmaladaptation and called engaged anthropologists to work with research participants in figuring out solutions to the problems of maladaptation (Low and Merry 2010). Engaged anthropology had its critics, particularly as during the cold war, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the US army in some cases hired anthropologist to advance geopolitical projects.…”

La problemática del patrimonio cultural inmaterial

“…Estas intervenciones provocan animados debates dentro de la disciplina (Baron 2010): si una parte de los investigadores escogen ir más allá de esta perspectiva y se implican en la creación del PCI, la mayoría observa este fenómeno a distancia. La cuestión del compromiso, en el centro mismo de la definición dada por la Unesco, es un reto fundamental en la reflexión de la antropología contemporánea sobre sí misma y una de las más recientes formulaciones de este debate que ha mostrado cómo las distintas aproximaciones de la disciplina desembocan en distintos tipos de compromiso, teórico o aplicado: desde la crítica cultural de la antropología académica a la investigación militante (Low & Merry 2010;Hale 2006).…”