Session Abstracts

A-B-C | D-E-F | G-H-I | J-K-L | M-N-O | P-Q-R  | S-T-U-V | W-X-Y-Z

DE PREE, Thomas (Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst) and GRANT, Sonia (U Chicago) Extraction in the Mineral Age in the U.S. Southwest. In the last 15 years, we have experienced a global expansion and intensification in mineral resource extraction, which has wrought environmental impacts, social conflict, and massive transformations in livelihoods (Jacka 2018). The purpose of this panel is to discuss how mineral resource extraction at the peak of the “mineral age” has impacted the U.S. Southwest. Against the background of deeper historical periodizations and chronologies of the growth and development of scientific mineralogy and industrial mining and metallurgy, we seek to understand this contemporary moment of extraction through our respective ethnographic experiences in the Southwest. (T-123) 

DESMOND, Kathleen (ASU) The Role of Art Criticism in Higher Education. Art Criticism, “informed talk about art for the purpose of understanding and appreciating of art” or “educating the public about visual art and why it matters” is different from critique. Art criticism engages several kinds of audiences - teachers, students, scholars, connoisseurs, aficionados, neophytes and naïve audiences - in looking, listening, and thinking. Art criticism includes several publics. Critique helps artists improve their work. This presentation will consider who art critics are, the professional practice of art criticism, and teaching art criticism in higher education. What are the effects of art criticism on different audiences? A lively discussion will ensue! desmond@ucmo.edu (S-45) 

DEUBEL, Tara and BARBIER, Clarisse (USF) Women’s Perspectives on Gender-based Violence in the US and Abroad. On a global scale, gender-based violence (GBV) takes on multiple dimensions ranging from physical and sexual violence to economic and political disenfranchisement and social exclusion. This panel brings together researchers from the University of South Florida working in the US and developing countries in Africa and Latin America to explore issues of gender-based violence and forms of exclusion that impact women. Through a human rights perspective, we will explore the policy context affecting violence, including legal protections for women, reflect on experiences working with participants affected by trauma, and discuss the role of applied anthropology in combating GBV. deubel@usf.edu (W-05) 

DRESSLER, William (U Alabama) Locating Individuals in the Space of Culture. The metaphor of culture as a space of meaning is used commonly in anthropological theory. In a recent paper, Dressler (2019) proposed a model derived from cognitive culture theory in which shared knowledge, contested understanding, and social practice could be conceptualized as three independent dimensions that structure a space of culture. This model provides an overall framework for the papers in this session. Each participant offers empirical examples of locating individuals in a space of culture and the implications for health and well-being of that location. These examples suggest a path from metaphor to measurement in the study of culture. wdressle@as.ua.edu (TH-39) 

EMERSON, Christie (Kennesaw State U) Care and Diversity in Complex Societies, Part II. This session seeks to answer questions regarding health care delivery in diverse settings. What coping mechanisms do individuals employ in dealing with their health issues? What socio-political, historical and economic circumstances lead or contributed to the health burdens experienced by vulnerable groups? How do indigenous communities defend their interests, cultural and otherwise? This session draws on experiences of nurses and other health care professionals in providing care to various populations in our complex, globalized world. Training the next generation of health care professionals and use of social networks among health professionals are also discussed. cemerson@kennesaw.edu (W-128) 

FARO, Elissa (Albert Einstein Med Coll) and CHOKSHI, Sara (NYU Med Sch) Brokering Anthropological Knowledge in Healthcare Organizations. Medical anthropology has become more applied in US healthcare organizations recently. Anthropologists are working at healthcare organizations producing research, improving care delivery and quality, and working to understand how interventions and evidence-based best practices are implemented across large-scale systems. The production of anthropological knowledge in these contexts allows organizations to construct solutions by grounding processes of learning and innovation in the larger social context within which they occur (Bray 2010). How medical anthropologists broker this knowledge production – writing IRBs, sharing findings with organizational stakeholders, the dissemination of research to multidisciplinary audiences – will be among the topics covered. efaro@montefiore.org (W-35)​​​​​​​ 

FELDMAN, Lindsey (U Memphis) COPAA Department Reflections on Applied Anthropology Training. Applied anthropology is experienced differently in the classroom, in job applications, and ultimately in the realm of professional practice. In this roundtable, five representatives from applied programs will share their pedagogical experiences in applying anthropology across educational and organizational institutions. They will draw on their experiences of in-class field experiences, pairing students with professional mentors, and graduate practicums (all techniques that they use to help bridge the gap between university educations and applied careers), discussing what’s worked and what hasn’t. A subsequent discussion with audience members will focus on identifying transformative approaches that programs can use to help prepare their students for applied careers. lrfldman@memphis.edu (TH-15)​​​​​​​ 

FILE-MURIEL, Maria del Pilar (UNM) Unexpected Turns: Alternative Conceptions of Citizenship in (Trans)National Contexts. We explore the concept of citizenship through the eyes and actions of our interlocutors; looking at the unexpected and (trans)national twists and turns in which citizenry is interpreted, resisting the category itself as previously conceptualized as within the confines of the nation-state. From their differentiated positions and through their practices, our interlocutors are fashioning other ways of citizenship/participation beyond liberal citizenship proposing more fluid notions of citizenship which represent the heteroglossic character of “citizenship-in-practice” mediated through relationships and interactions among people, organizations, and institutions situated at the local, national, and international levels. (TH-93)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

FLEURIET, K. Jill (UTSA) Border “Wars” of Words that Matter, Parts I-II. The U.S., and especially Texas, bears obvious prejudice against its southern borderland as evident through policies, financial decisions, and media coverage. The region is increasingly militarized and surveilled. How can anthropologists and other social scientists push back against inaccuracies inhumane policies and legacies of structural violence? In this double panel, we consider how social scientists live, work, and advocate in/for borderland communities. We consider what we have done and what we should do to identify new strategies for advocacy that could apply to other social scientists working in regions under siege from nationalist politics, racist discourse, and ill-informed political decisions. jill.fleuriet@utsa.edu (T-95, T-125)​​​​​​​ 

FOSTER, Brian (U Missouri) and HERCKIS, Lauren (Carnegie Mellon U) Capstone Session on Anthropology of Higher Education. All participants in the cluster of sessions on Anthropology of Higher Education, attendees at the sessions, and others who are interested in an open discussion of the presentations are welcome. The goal is to identify themes, important questions that were raised, and explore topics for future meetings. Discussion will be facilitated by Lauren Herckis and Brian Foster. fosterbl@missouri.edu (S-74)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

FOSTER, Brian (U Missouri) Constituents, Sectors: How the Differences Play Out for Better Or Worse, Parts I-II. Institutions of Higher Education have a broad range of constituents, which have very different -often competing- expectations and interests. The constituencies vary by sector and location and include such groups as students, donors, legislators, faculty, disciplines, administration, graduates’ employers, professional associations, and accrediting bodies. A key constituency is “regents” or “trustees,” whose roles vary greatly by sector -e.g., public or private institutions, research universities, liberal arts colleges, regional universities. Understanding these dynamics is critical in many ways -e.g., for successful management, political advocacy, academic quality, and research productivity. This session explores pluses and minuses of these complex dynamics. fosterbl@missouri.edu (F-14)