2008 Podcasts

1

Working with Governmental Agencies Parts 1 & 2

CHAIR: STEVENS JR., Phillips (SUNY-Buffalo)

ABSTRACT: This panel continues the conversation begun in Tampa, last year. The military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan with their stated aims of regime change, and the 2007 employment of anthropologists alongside troops, raise many questions about social science involvement in governmental efforts in other cultures.  How can we work successfully with governmental agencies, and persuade them to consider our advice in their planning and in their field operations - and should we, if we disapprove of their plans in the first place? How strong are memories of Project Camelot today?  What are the ethical implications for our profession?

Session Participants: 

NIBBS, Faith (S Methodist U)
FLUEHR-LOBBAN, Carolyn (Rhode Island Coll)
SELMESKI, Brian (Air Force Culture & Language Ctr, Air U)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

2

Preparing Applied Anthropologists for the 21st Century Part 1

CHAIRS: GUEERRÓN-MONTERO, Carla (U Delaware) and YOUNG, Philip D. (U Oregon)

ABSTRACT: These two sessions, organized by Carla Guerrón-Montero and the Consortium of Practicing and Applied Anthropology Programs (COPAA), featured practitioners and academics who have contributed to NAPA Bulletin No. 29 (2008). Participants in these two sessions discussed, from a variety of perspectives, the theoretical and practical skills that anthropology students should develop during the course of their studies to prepare themselves for careers in applied anthropology, whether as full-time practitioners or as applied anthropologists within academia. Speakers also provided specific advice to undergraduate and graduate students on the benefits and challenges of careers in applied anthropology, in both the national and the international arenas.

Session Participants: 

VAN ARSDALE, Peter (U Denver)
YOUNG, Philip D. (U Oregon)
LASSITER, Luke (Marshall U)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

Preparing Applied Anthropologists for the 21st Century Part 2

CHAIRS: GUERRÓN-MONTERO, Carla (U Delaware) and YOUNG, Philip D. (U Oregon)

Session Participants: 

FISKE, Shirley J. (Consultant, U Maryland)
PILLSBURY, Barbara (Int’l Hlth & Dev Assoc)
CONZALEZ-CLEMENTS, Emilia (Dev Systems/Applications Int’l Inc) and Carla Littlefield (Littlefield Assoc)
MAYNARD-TUCKER, Gisele (UC-Los Angeles)

 Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

3

Mobile Work, Mobile Lives: Cultural Accounts of Lived Experiences

CHAIR: MEERWARTH, Tracy (General Motors)

ABSTRACT: Mobile and remote work is becoming increasingly common.  Employees, independent contractors, consultants, and researchers are using information technologies to work in non-traditional ways from non-traditional spaces.  Current scholarly research focuses on improving the effectiveness and design interface of network technologies and of mobile products such as cell phones, laptops and PDA’s while overlooking the human aspects of workers’ experiences. This session offers a more comprehensive understanding of the sociality of this growing mobile work community through the experiences of the authors who describe patterns and insights about the associated challenges and opportunities that this style of work presents.​​​​​​​

Session Participants:

MEERWARTH, Tracy L. (General Motors)
GLUESING, Julia (Wayne State U)
JORDAN, Brigitte (Palo Alto Rsch Ctr)
GOSSETT, Loril (U Texas-Austin)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

4

Practitioners Rise to the Challenge: A Discussion of Methods in Business Ethnography

CHAIR: TRATNER, Susan (SUNY-Empire State) 

ABSTRACT: Many anthropologists are employed by businesses, using excellent methods and appropriate theories and providing valuable results.  Others in these businesses or academic fields believe they are using “ethnography” without really understanding it and are not knowledgeable of either the history or the theories that could assist their work. Individual papers demonstrate the range of ways that anthropological methods and theories have been used to assist and critique businesses.  Participants come from academia, private consulting and industry.  Discussion will focus on the way in which well designed and executed anthropologically generated insights can benefit the business environment.​​​​​​​

Session Participants:

TRATNER, Susan (SUNY-Empire State)
SANDO, Ruth (Barbara Perry Assoc)
De WALL MALEFYT, Timothy (BBDO Worldwide & Parsons, New Sch for Design)
SHAPIRO, Ari (Hall & Partners Healthcare)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

5

The Flawed Economics of Resettlement and its Impovershing Effects: What Can Social Scientists Do?

CHAIR: CERNEA, Michael M. (George Washington U)

ORGANIZED BY: the International Network on Displacement and Resettlement (INDR)

ABSTRACT: Development anthropologists and sociologists have made the strongest contribution to analyzing and understanding not only the social and cultural traumas caused by forced-displacement, but also to identifying the mechanisms of sheer economic impoverishment, decapitalization and destitution of most people caught in the jaws of displacement. Economists have been by and large noticeably silent. Compensation for lost assets remains even today the single instrument employed to re-establish those displaced, and this instrument is being proven as insufficient and subject to distortions.  The session aims to discuss research contributions towards analyzing the insufficiently studied economics of displacement, to examine critically the economic theory of resettlement, the contradiction between economics and ethics in displacement and to identify not only proper recommendations, but also areas of further research for anthropologists, economists and other social scientists. 

Session Participants: 

CERNEA, Michael (World Bank)
DEAR, Chad (U Montana)
OLIVER-SMITH, Anthony (United Nations U Inst for Env & Human Security)
KOBUS, Elizabeth M. (S. Methodist U)
TURTON, David (U Oxford)

DISCUSSANT: DOWNING, Theodore (U Arizona)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

6

Visualizing Change: Emergent Technologies in Social Justice Inquiry and Action, Part 1: Digital Storytelling and Photovoice

CHAIR: HARPER, Krista and GUBRIUM, Aline (U Mass-Amherst) ​​​​​​

ABSTRACT: New visual technologies are changing the ways that anthropologists do research and are opening up new possibilities for participatory approaches appealing to diverse audiences. These methods produce rich visual and narrative data guided by participant interests and priorities. Presentations address the following: ethical concerns; potential audiences; voice, representation, and power; the digital divide; academic and activist roles; participants as knowledge producers and agents of change; cathartic storytelling; community building; standards of validity; a new lens of participant-observation; and decision making in the research process. Presentations feature research on environment, public health, youth activism, and community development, drawing from fieldwork in the USA, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Session Participants:

GUBRIUM, Aline (U Mass-Amherst)
TACCHI, Jo and BAULCH, Emma (Queensland U of Tech)
CLAYSON, Zoe (San Francisco State U)
HARPER, Krista (U Mass-Amherst)
SCHIANO, Diane J. (Palo Alto Rsch Ctr)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

Visualizing Change: Emergent Technologies in Social Justice Inquiry and Action, Part 2: Participatory Mapping and Visual Arts

Session Participants:

McMAHAN, Ben (U Arizona)
BADIANE, Louise (Bridgewater State Coll) and Pamela Erickson (U Connecticut)
SCOTT, Alison (Jiann-Ping Hsu CPH, Georgia Southern U)
PETERSON, Kristina (U New Orleans) and Jonathan West (Ctr for Hazards Assessment Response & Tech (CHART) 

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

7

The Political Construction of Global Infectious Disease (SMA Plenary)

CHAIRS: FINERMAN, Ruth and SARGENT, Carolyn

ABSTRACT: Governments are charged with providing resources and support to protect public health and wellbeing. While various administrations have long been accused of neglecting this responsibility, many also increasingly manipulate health crises for political expedience. Authorities may maneuver to draw public attention to a potential threat in order to galvanize support for, and muzzle criticism of, unpopular policies. Alternately, they may seek to deflect attention from inadequate health responses or medical findings that pose political risks. Using infectious diseases as a foundation, panelists will explore the roles of culture, globalization and political maneuvering as these influence health policy, funding priorities, responsiveness, and public awareness in the face of global epidemics. 

Session Participants: 

MANDERSON, Lenore (Monash U)
RENNE, Elisha P. (U Michigan)
FELDMAN, Douglas A. (SUNY-Brockport)
SMITH-NONINI, Sandy (UNC-Chapel Hill)
BRIGGS, Charles L. (UC-Berkeley)
NICHTER, Mark (U Arizona)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

8

Anthropology Engages Immigration Reform

CHAIR: BRETTELL, Caroline B. (S Methodist U)

​​​​​​​ABSTRACT: In this panel, participants engage aspects of the immigration debate and immigration reform. Although anthropologists have much to say on this matter because we work in local places, are attuned to a multiplicity of voices, and focus on the symbolic as well as the material dimensions of social life, our perspectives are rarely heard in comparison with researchers in other disciplines - economics, sociology, and political science. Anthropology can offer a unique understanding not only of why immigration impassions so many people, but also why reform is stalled and what solutions might actually move us forward.

Session Participants:

HAINES, David W. (George Mason U)
BRETTELL, Caroline B. (S Methodist U)
BAKER-CRISTALES, Beth (Cal State-Los Angeles)
HEYMAN, Josiah (U Texas-El Paso)
CHAVEZ, Leo R. (UC-Irvine)
CARRINGTON, Jara (U New Mexico) 

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

9

Anthropology of the Consumer

CHAIR: ROMEO, Donna M. (FritoLay Inc) 

ABSTRACT: Over the past few years, an increasing number of anthropologists have entered the realm of consumer research. Today, applied anthropologists who focus on consumer issues are found working in a broad array of Fortune 500 companies, consulting firms, advertising agencies, and academia. All have accumulated “know-how” - valuable insights, and tales both good and bad, from the field.  How does applying anthropology within business transform business, anthropology, and anthropologists? What insights can be garnered from these experiences, both positive and negative? This session will explore methodological, practical, and ethical issues practitioners confront in applying anthropology to solving real world business problems.​​​​​​​

DISCUSSANT: DARRAH, Charles (San Jose State U)

Session Participants: 

ROMEO, Donna M. (FritoLay Inc.)
SUNDERLAND, Patricia L. and DENNY, Rita M. (Practica Group LLC)
ROGERS, Mark and ROGERS, Liz 
McCABE, Maryann (Cultural Connections)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

10

Embodied Danger: The Health Costs of War and Political Violence (SMA)

CHAIR: INHORN, Marcia C.(U Michigan) 

ABSTRACT: The World Health Organization’s 1978 Declaration of Alma Ata emphasized war, political violence, and the massive diversion of economic resources into armaments and military spending as among the greatest impediments to “health for all by the year 2000” (HFA200). Sadly, HFA2000 was never achieved, because of the escalating political violence that has marked the coming of the new millennium.  This session examines the profound health costs of such violence, including civil wars, guerrilla wars, genocides, and riots. The session also examines the public health costs of the current war in Iraq, including the dilemmas of conducting anthropological fieldwork there.​​​​​​​

Session Participants:

LEATHERMAN, Tom (U S Carolina)
BERRY, Nicole (Simon Fraser U)
SARGENT, Carolyn (S Methodist U)
GRUENBAUM, Ellen (Cal State-Fresno)
INHORN, Marcia C. (U Michigan)
KING, Diane E. (U Kentucky)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008

11

For Love and Money: Employment Opportunities in Medical Anthropology (SMA)

CHAIRS: PRITCHARD, Katherine (U Memphis) and VALDEZ, Amorita E. (U Michigan)

ABSTRACT: Nationally and internationally recognized practitioners will offer personal reflections and guidance, focusing on careers in medical anthropology. Panelists will discuss their professional training, how they got their jobs, and activities they perform in their work. They will also outline some of the skills students need to be employable. The floor will then open for questions and discussion. A reception will follow, allowing students to meet one-on-one with the practitioners on the panel, to solicit personal career guidance.

Session Participants:

MANDERSON, Lenore (Monash U)
RUSSELL, Jamie (TN State DOH)
FELDMAN, Douglas A. (SUNY-Brockport)
RYLKO-BAUER, Barbara (Michigan St U)
SINGER, Merrill (CHIP, U Connecticut)
HEURTIN-ROBERTS, Suzanne (DHHS)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

12

The Scholar-Practitioner in Organizational Settings

CHAIR: METCALF, Crysta (Motorola Labs) 

ABSTRACT: In this session we introduce and model the concept of the “scholar-practitioner,” practicing anthropologists who explicitly draw on theory in their work and contribute to theory development.  Although such an integration of theory and practice has long existed, it has been gaining greater recognition in recent years, especially as more and more anthropologists are applying our discipline in organizational settings.  The members of this panel draw on their experiences in both academic and organizational settings, presenting case studies and examples in order to explore the challenges and opportunities inherent in working toward the advancement of anthropological theory in applied practice.​​​​​​​

Session Participants:

CARDEW, Jen and WASSON, Christina (U N Texas)
BRONDO, Keri Vacanti (U Memphis)
BARTLO, Wendy, Tracy L. MEERWARTH, and Elizabeth K. BRIODY (General Motors), and Robert T. TROTTER II (N Arizona U)
COPELAND-CARSON, Jacqueline (Copeland Carson & Assoc)
METCALF, Crysta (Motorola Labs)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.

13

Presidential Plenary Session in Honor of John van Willigen: The Art and Science of Applied Anthropology in the 21st Century

CHAIR: KEDIA, Satish (U Memphis)

ABSTRACT: Anthropology has historically represented a bridge between the arts and sciences in explorations of human cultures. Anthropologists’ seamless blending of humanity and scientific rigor to address contemporary public issues to meet the needs of the larger community, both globally and locally, pushes us to the forefronts of engaged scholarship. As our discipline evolves and adapts to continual changes in the cultures and institutions around the world, the work of applied anthropologists becomes even more critical in transforming their knowledge into meaningful practices. This session will respond to some of these issues and provide frameworks for the future direction of applied anthropology and its practitioners in the 21st century. 

Session Participants:

ANDREATTA, Susan (U NC-Greensboro)
BABA, Marietta L. (Michigan State U)
CHAMBERS, Erve (U Maryland)

Session took place in Memphis, TN at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2008.