TSANTSA. Zeitschrift der Schweizerischen Ethnologischen Gesellschaft. Revue de la Société d'Ethnologie Heft 27/2022. Engaged Anthropology in and beyond Switzerland

Abstract

As anthropologists increasingly embark upon the study of the international sphere (Müller 2013), this often builds on different forms of engagement within and around organizations, processes, and institutional corridors. What are the different roles, contributions, and dilem mas of anthropological engagement in the international governance field? How does anthro pology inform, and viceversa, become informed by, such engagement? Disciplinary atten tion to local perspectives and multiple voices, I would argue, make anthropologists par ticularly sensitive to the powerridden negotiations of representation and voice taking place, prompt ing careful navigation of engagement in politicized and powerful arenas.The anthropological encounter with complex realities intermeshing global politics, bureaucracies, social movements, and how these relate to local lives is both fruitful and chal lenging. Global governance regimes and their effects, indeed, are no longer confined to mul tilateral elites and highlevel processes, but increasingly connected to everyday consumer practices, social media campaigns, and activism. The international sphere is omnipresent from climate change negotiations and sustainable development goals to changing migration regimes and development cooperation. Anthropology not only offers critical insights, but