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Applied Anthropology . Chapter One Orientations to an Anthropology of Policy and Practice. What is Applied Anthropology?. Applied Anthropology is the use of anthropological theory and social science research methods to solve real world problems. Almost always works outside of academia
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Applied Anthropology Chapter One Orientations to an Anthropology of Policy and Practice
What is Applied Anthropology? • Applied Anthropology is the use of anthropological theory and social science research methods to solve real world problems. • Almost always works outside of academia • Clients expect practical solutions not theories • Influences the selection of policy or delivery of services • Ethical Issues and Normative Assumptions • Often conducted by full-time non-academics or professors consulting outside of the institution
Practicing Anthropology • Anthropologist who are engaged in fulltime outside of academia who use their skills to practical problems • They are different then Applied Anthropologists in that they often design, implement, and deliver services or policies—They Do The Work! • Needs Assessments • Program Evaluation • Social Impact Assessment
Types of Jobs Practicing Anthropologist Have • International Development • Community Development • Advocacy Groups • Resource Management • Planning • Consulting • Around half of all Ph.D. anthropologists will be practicing anthropologists • Almost all Bachelors and Masters level students are practicing anthropologists
Applied Anthropology and Theory • The link of theory and practice in anthropology is different than other disciplines • Theories often make normative assumptions or produce information that can be exploited by outsiders over locals • The history of anthropology has lead to a distinct separation of academic theory from practice
Theories in Anthropology • Structural Functionalism • Functionalism • understands society and culture to be like living organisms • Parts of a culture can only be studied adequately as they function within the whole • Structuralism • Structuralistapproaches in anthropology explore the variety of ways that culture and society are structured, and how such structures are related to human development and identity
Theories in Anthropology • Cultural Evolution • presumes that over time, cultural change occurs as a result of humans adapting to things like climate change or population growth • Materialism • Understands human culture to be the product of the "material conditions" in which a given community of people finds itself.
Theories in Anthropology • Political Economy • The study of the means of production, law, customs and the governmentthat support livelihood strategies • Interpretive Anthropology • Culture is used to understand the deep structures and basic assumption that create a shared reality of a place • Human Ecology • How humans relate to their environment and settle space
Applied Anthropology • Has grown separately as a discipline that focuses on answering important questions and solving important issues • Not concerned with relationship to theory • Focus on problem solving not conforming to the production of knowledge to test theories • Clients often have little interest in abstractions such as theory
Anthropology of Policy • Theory that policy has a unique culture • The powerful and their perspectives • Issues and communities and individuals • Distribution of goods and services • All pretty much left unexamined
A Praxis Approach • Methodology that is ethical and emancipatory • How to empower people to make planned change
