Applied anthropology

Applied anthropology refers to the application of the method and theory of anthropology to the analysis and solution of practical problems. In as much as anthropology traditionally entails four sub-disciplines--Archaeology, biological/physical, cultural/social, and linguistic anthropology—the practical application of any of these sub-disciplines may properly be designated "applied anthropology". Indeed, some practical problems may invoke all sub-disciplines. For example, a Native American community development program may involve archaeological research to determine legitimacy of water rights claims, ethnography to assess the current and historical cultural characteristics of the community, linguistics to restore language competence among inhabitants, medical anthropology to determine the causality of dietary deficiency diseases, etc.

Applied anthropologists often work for nonacademic clients such as governments, development agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), tribal and ethnic associations, advocacy groups, social-service and educational agencies, and businesses. Ethnography and participant observation are the applied anthropologist's primary research tools. They also use textual analysis, survey research and other empirical methods to inform policy or to market products.

This stands in contrast to the purely academic realm of sociocultural anthropology, which may be more concerned with creating theoretical models which correspond to its units of analysis, e.g. social inequality, performance, exchange, relative ethic value, and so forth. Sometimes research that falls within the "applied" field is differentiated from such research, which is thereby termed "basic" anthropology. However, more recently the distinction between "applied" and "basic" sociocultural anthropology has been blurred, with many ethnographers incorporating aspects traditionally labeled as "applied" into their research.

Examples of questions that an applied anthropologist would attempt to solve might be:

• If an American buys diapers at 2 a.m. on a Saturday in a grocery store, what is likely to be their next purchase?
• How can public health authorities promote condom use among members of a particular subculture?
• How can anthropologists on Human Terrain Teams help the military identify local traditions of cooperative endeavor that may apply to well maintenance in Afghanistan?
• What measures could be taken to make sponge diving safer for Greek sponge divers?
• Why do people migrate to XYZ place or from PQR place?

The premiere journal of applied anthropology in the United States is called Human Organization, published by the Society for Applied Anthropology. In the UK, the main journal for applied anthropology is called Anthropology in Action.

Under the directorship of the RAI, Jonathan Benthall, author of The Best of Anthropology Today, created the annual Lucy Mair Medal of Applied Anthropology. This recognizes excellence in using anthropology "for the relief of poverty or distress, or for the active recognition of human dignity".

The Association of Social Anthropologists (ASA) has a network of Applied Anthropologists known as 'Apply'.

Within the European Association of Anthropologists' Medical Anthropology Network there is an applied anthropology special interest group.

See also

• Development anthropology
• Economic anthropology
• Public anthropology

External links

• Society for Applied Anthropology, an American association of applied anthropologists that meets annually and publishes two journals, Human Organization and Practicing Anthropology.
• Expeditions, Research in Applied Anthropology
• Omertaa. Journal for Applied Anthropology - Free online Journal for anthropologists.
• Apply, The ASA Network of Applied Anthropologists.
• Anthropology in Action, The main UK-based journal for applied anthropology.
• Applied Medical Anthropology Special Interest Group of EASA's Medical Anthropology Network, The Applied Medical Anthropology Special Interest Group within The European Association of Anthropologists' Medical Anthropology Network.