Annual Meeting

Theme

Cultural Citizenship and Diversity in Complex Societies
Lois Stanford, Program Chair 

Social scientists have long studied culturally diverse and marginalized populations in complex, stratified societies. We recognize the deep history of migration, both voluntary and enforced, and the role population movements have played in shaping national economies, political cultures, and cultural identities. Immigrants and refugees face great challenges in adapting to new societies, negotiating diverse identities, and responding to sociopolitical constraints to their societal participation. At the same time, indigenous communities struggle to defend their sovereignty and human rights in complex societies.  Globalization has greatly accelerated the external linkages impacting both indigenous communities and population movements. 

Traditional views of citizenship have placed greatest weight on formal membership (through birth or naturalization) that grants individual rights and the ability to participate in the political process. Scholars have argued for a more dynamic notion of cultural citizenship that recognizes the “right to be different (in terms of race, ethnicity, or native language) with respect to the norms of the dominant national community, without compromising one’s rights to belong” (Rosaldo 1994:57). Historically, national governments adopted different policies toward ethnic minorities, including both indigenous peoples and immigrants. Policies have ranged from France’s assimilation policy to Germany’s differential exclusion to the somewhat pluralist policies of Canada and the United States. Populist and nationalistic political movements may change these policies. Anthropologists are uniquely situated to examine cultural citizenship as a social process, one where different groups may be included or excluded. 

How do policies toward citizenship affect newcomers’ ability to access education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and other resources critical to survival? Can indigenous and aboriginal communities effectively defend cultural interests while negotiating citizen rights within a larger society? What challenges do host communities face in accommodating immigrants? Are so-called minorities, whether defined by race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or other cultural markers, afforded full cultural citizenship? Do applied anthropologists redefine their own roles to address the needs of marginalized communities, and can they provide them with social, economic, and political assistance? What are the implications of contentious discourses and practices for community institutions? How do we impart anthropology’s lessons about respect for cultural diversity to students?

Albuquerque offers the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology a superb venue wherein to examine cultural diversity, history, and contested citizenship. Long recognized for its rich ethnic heritage and cultural tourism, New Mexico has struggled to shape a regional identity while recognizing its legacy of colonialism, cultural genocide, and discrimination against cultural minorities. The conference hotel is in Albuquerque’s Old Town, reflecting the city’s deep Spanish influence, which has benefitted from Italian settlers in the early 20^thcentury and recent Mexican immigrants. On Tuesday, sessions, films, and speakers will explore New Mexico’s efforts to address its own multicultural citizenship through a wide range of topics, including Native American land and food sovereignty, human rights, food security, health issues, and cultural diversity through the arts. 

Program Chair: Lois Stanford, New Mexico State University (lstanfor@nmsu.edu)
Annual Meeting Program Coordinator: Don Stull (stull@ku.edu)
Society for Applied Anthropology (info@appliedanthro.org) 405-843-5113

Co-Sponsors

The Society for Applied Anthropolgy has invited cognate professional associations to join as co-sponsors in the Annual Meeting. Those groups who have accepted the invitation are now working actively with the Program Chair on the content of the sessions. The groups include:

The Council on Nursing and Anthropology (CONAA) is an organization that brings together nurses, anthropologists and others interested in understanding and promoting the health of peoples and cultures around the world through research and practice innovations. Common interests of CONAA members are basic and applied health research, improved health care for vulnerable populations, and encouraging cultural and social justice content in education and research. CONAA holds yearly business meetings at SfAA followed by informal receptions for networking and mutual support. For more information about CONAA, visit http://www.conaa.org or email Karen Breda, CONAA President

The Culture & Agriculture (C&A) Section of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) aims to develop the study and understanding of agrarian systems from a holistic, social science perspective, and to link academics and practitioners concerned with agrarian issues, agricultural development, and agricultural systems through dissemination of scientific research, encouragement of effective instruction, and to encourage application of knowledge to public policy.

The Political Ecology Society (PESO) has as its object the promotion of interdisciplinary scientific investigation of the political and economic principles controlling the relations of human beings to one another and to the environment. As part of its efforts to meet these goals, PESO supports the publication of the Journal of Political Ecology, a peer reviewed electronic journal that publishes articles and reviews in English, French, and Spanish.

The Society for Anthropological Sciences (SAS) was organised to promote empirical research and social science in anthropology. The members of SAS want to further the development of anthropological science as empirical knowledge based on testable theory, sound research design and systematic methods for the collection and analysis of data. We seek to fulfill the historic mission of anthropology to describe and explain the range of variation in human biology, society, and culture across time and space. 

The Society for Disability Studies (SDS) is a scholarly organization dedicated to promoting disability studies. More than twenty-five years of rich history has enabled the organization to reach national and international members with expertise ranging from advocacy to perspectives on disability from a variety of disciplines.

The Society for Medical Anthropology (SMA) formed in 1967 and incorporated into the American Anthropological Association (AAA) in 1971 is dedicated to the profession and practice of medical anthropology, which uses concepts and methods from anthropology to produce new understandings of health, illness, treatment, and care. Open for membership worldwide, the SMA brings together medical anthropology graduate students, practicing anthropologists, scholars, and scholar activists. The SMA includes a number of special interest groups organized to advance endeavors – including policy-related initiatives as well as research and teaching – on topics and priorities identified by these groups. The SMA publishes the journal Medical Anthropology Quarterly and offers venues for members to present their research at conferences.

Program Committee