Praxis Award Finalists

February 1, 2020

Praxis Award Finalists Announced

Since 1981, the Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists' (WAPA) biennial Praxis Award competition has recognized outstanding achievement in translating anthropological knowledge into action as reflected in a single project or specific endeavor. The winners of the 2019-2020 Praxis competition will be announced at a reception at SfAA's 2020 annual meeting in Albuquerque on Thursday, March 19th, starting at 5:30 PM. Please join us. 

In the 2019-2020 cycle the Praxis Award Committee received applications or expressions of interest from 10 countries.  The Praxis Award Committee is pleased to announce three outstanding projects as finalists:

Nayanika Mookherjee (UK), Towards Ethical Testimonies of Sexual Violence During Conflict (setting Bangladesh);

One of the jurors wrote: "This is a really excellent example of how academic research can be translated into pieces that are useful for non-academics. A graphic novel is a brilliant idea and the applicant’s engagement with institutions and media is impressive."   

Michael Paolisso, Katherine Johnson, Elizabeth Van Dolah, and Christine Miller Hesed (US), Deal Island Peninsula Project (setting Chesapeake Bay).

One of the jurors wrote: "This project is really a beautiful example of anthropology at work across multiple dimensions – from specific methodologies to the general influence of an anthropological perspective on mutual respect and development of collaborative relationships. On top of that, in a local context it is addressing an issue of global importance [climate change adaptation]."

Laurie Schwede, Eric Jensen, Deborah Griffin, and Scott Konicki (US), Complex Households and the Undercount of Young Children (setting US-wide).

One of the jurors wrote: "This is a brilliant example of how anthropologists can work with mixed methods and multidisciplinary teams to have an impact on society."  

While the final decision is made by the Praxis Committee, the award reflects the assessments of four jurors from the United States and the Netherlands, with deep and diverse experience in using anthropology to address practical problems. For more information on the Praxis Award, please see https://wapadc.org/praxis.

Rob Winthrop
Chair, Praxis Award Committee
Research Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Maryland  •  College Park, MD 20742, USA
rwinthro@umd.edu