What Anthropologists Do

by Veronica Strang

Overview

What is Anthropology? Why should you study it? What will you learn? And what can you do with it? What Anthropologists Do answers all these questions. And more.

Anthropology is an astonishingly diverse and engaged subject that seeks to understand human social behaviour. What Anthropologists Do presents a lively introduction to the ways in which anthropology's unique research methods and cutting-edge thinking contribute to a very wide range of fields: environmental issues, aid and development, advocacy, human rights, social policy, the creative arts, museums, health, education, crime, communications technology, design, marketing, and business. In short, training in Anthropology provides highly transferable skills of investigation and analysis.

The book will be ideal for any readers who want to know that Anthropology is all about, for school leavers seeking exciting and rewarding career directions, and for students coming to the study of Anthropology for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781000190311
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/24/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Veronica Strang is a Professor of Anthropology and the Director of the Institute of Advanced Study at Durham University, and is affiliated to the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at Oxford University. From 2013–2017 she was the Chair of the Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and the Commonwealth. Her publications include Uncommon Ground: cultural landscapes and environmental values (1997); The Meaning of Water (2004); Gardening the World: agency, identity and the ownership of water (2009); Ownership and Appropriation (2010); Water: nature and culture (2015); and From the Lighthouse: interdisciplinary reflections on light (2018). More information about her work can be found at https://www.veronicastrang.com/

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction 1

What Do Anthropologists Do? 1

Employing Anthropology 4

Conducting Research 5

1 Anthropology and Advocacy 9

Balancing Acts 9

Facilitating Cross-cultural Communication 12

Defending Livelihoods and Knowledge 14

Human Rights 17

Land Rights 18

Participatory Action 21

2 Anthropology and Aid 26

Crossing Boundaries 26

Aid and Ambiguity 27

NGO-graphy 30

Assisting Aid 32

Dealing with Displacement 33

Understanding Race and Racism 34

3 Anthropology and Development 37

Critiquing Development 37

In Development 40

Connecting Multiple Realities 43

Conserving Cultural Diversity 50

Globalization 53

4 Anthropology and the Environment 58

'Environmental' Problems 58

Indigenous Knowledges 62

Political Ecology 63

Unpacking Garbage 66

Human-Animal Relations 67

Anthropology and Environmentalism 70

5 Anthropology and Governance 76

The Big Picture 76

The Not So Big Picture 81

Home Work 84

Prescription and Persuasion 85

Education 88

6 Anthropology, Business and Industry 93

Money Matters 93

Anthropologists in Business 99

Multinational and Multicultural Communication 103

Anthropology and Communications Media 106

Marketing Anthropology 109

Designing Anthropology 112

7 Anthropology and Health 116

Health in a Cultural Context 116

From the Cradle to the Grave 118

Food and Lifestyle 124

Understanding Disease 129

Drug Cultures and Crime 130

Managing Health 135

8 Anthropology, Art and Identity 138

Defining Identity 138

Gender and Sexuality 139

Race, Nationalism and Social Movements 141

Representing Identity 143

Art and Performance 145

Museums and Cultural Heritage 151

Filmand Photography 154

Conclusion 157

Applying Anthropology 157

Interdisciplinary Anthropology 158

Transferring Anthropology 159

What Kind of People Become Anthropologists? 162

Appendix 1 Studying Anthropology 164

Appendix 2 Further Reading 166

Appendix 3 Other Resources 173

Glossary 176

Notes 178

Bibliography 181

Index 204

Editorial Reviews

Veronica Strang's What Anthropologists Do provides a valuable panoramic view of wide-ranging work undertaken by anthropologists. Engagingly written and useful for school and anthropology students considering their career options, it will be accessible for any reader wondering what it is that anthropologists really do.” —Kathryn Tomlinson

From the Publisher