ExtrACTION & Environment News

Elisabeth Moolenaar

It’s been an active and complex year in the area of extraction and environment.  As the economy responded to the global pandemic, environmental regulations changed. In the US, courts reviewed the decisions, and oil and gas companies decided that they’d spent too much on infrastructure, even when they held permits.  How did anthropology respond to the continuing confusion of 2020? 

Annual meeting in Norfolk

For the last few months, the SfAA program committee has been meeting regularly to prepare for our 2021 annual meeting in Norfolk. Anna Willow and Elisabeth Moolenaar are the liaisons for our TIG on the committee. The committee is exploring hybrid and virtual meeting options and is preparing for different scenarios. Whatever form the annual meeting will take, it will be a great conference! In addition to submitting all your new research and ideas, you can consider resubmitting your 2020 proposal for 2021. An official call for papers will follow soon. Please contact Anna (willow.1@osu.edu) and/or Elisabeth (emoolenaar@regis.edu) if you have questions or ideas for our 2021 meeting.  

Statement against racism and action plan

The ExtrACTION & Environment TIG has formulated a statement in which it formally rejects racism and police brutality. We did not want this just to be another statement without any accountability attached and thus this document also includes steps for action. You can find the full text here in the Newsletter under Commentaries. We consider this a living document and look forward to discussing matters further in our TIG and taking more active and concrete steps toward combating racism in and through our work. 

New edited volume: Anthropology and Activism

What began as a triple session at the annual meeting in Portland in 2019 is now a book! Anthropology and Activism: New Contexts New Conversations (edited by Anna Willow and Kelly Yotebieng, Routledge Press) was released in July. The volume deals with the diverse ways to navigate the anthropology/activism relationship. Chapters touch on key areas in applied anthropology, including environment and extraction, food sustainability and security, migration and human rights, health disparities and healthcare access, class and gender identities and empowerment, and the defense of democracy. For more information and to order click here: https://www.routledge.com/Anthropology-and-Activism-New-Contexts-New-Conversations-1st-Edition/Willow-Yotebieng/p/book/9780367464097 

ExtrACTION & Environment listserv

Did you know our TIG has an active listserv? If you would like to subscribe, please contact Kirk Jalbert (kirk.jalbert@asu.com).