Book Series Details

Studies in Public and Applied anthropology book series details

This series aims to bridge the gap between applied and academic anthropology in an contemporary context where anthropology is gaining a new public profile and anthropologists are involved in new forms of cultural production and social intervention. Anthropologists find might find themselves working in the more 'traditional' areas of applied anthropology like overseas development, indigenous rights, ethnographic documentary making for television, or in a museum. In addition the anthropology of policy has long-since been established as has the anthropology of organisations. These are both areas where anthropology might be applied to provide important social insights. However contemporary applied anthropology includes working for government departments such as education, health and defence, as legal witnesses in court and in consumer ethnography and design anthropology in industry, in media production and on television. It also involves using new methods and adapting to diverse institutional contexts. As part of a wider changing global context the application of anthropology outside academia, in work that is informed by or involves the practice of anthropological methods and theory, is becoming increasingly popular. Although with different regional emphases anthropology is used globally in diverse public, independent and private sector organisations. For example to inform public policy, represent local people and issues and inform product design and marketing. At the same time (although this relationship will maybe always be troubled) applied anthropology is increasingly accepted by the 'mainstream', signified by its addition to the undergraduate curriculum in many anthropology programmes. There is now an important demand for such skills from postgraduates in a context where very few academic posts are available.

At this exciting time where interest in Applied Anthropology is increasing the Studies of Public and Applied Anthropology series will explore the areas, issues and practices involved in the application of anthropology outside academia. It will provide a literature that will be relevant for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, researchers and professionals.

Published by Berghahn.