American Anthropologist

American Anthropologist. It is the flagship journal of the American Anthropological Association, representing the discipline's breadth through scholarly articles, research reports, commentaries, and reviews. Established in the late 19th century, it has served as a central forum for debating foundational theories, methodological innovations, and critical public issues. The journal publishes rigorously peer-reviewed content that spans the four primary subfields of cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology.

History and founding

The journal was founded in 1888 in Washington, D.C. by the nascent American Anthropological Association, with its first editor being the prominent ethnologist John Wesley Powell. Early volumes reflected the era's focus on Native American ethnology, mound builders archaeology, and physical measurements, often in service of institutions like the Bureau of American Ethnology. Throughout the 20th century, it chronicled major theoretical shifts, from Franz Boas's historical particularism and critiques of scientific racism to the rise of structural functionalism and interpretive anthropology. Key moments include publishing seminal works by figures like Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, and Claude Lévi-Strauss, and navigating debates such as those surrounding Project Camelot and the Vietnam War.

Scope and focus

Its scope encompasses the entire spectrum of anthropological inquiry, integrating research from sociocultural, biological, archaeological, and linguistic perspectives. The journal emphasizes theoretically engaged empirical research, methodological debates, and interventions on contemporary global issues such as climate change, migration, social inequality, and technoscience. Regular features include peer-reviewed research articles, visual anthropology essays, public anthropology forums, and extensive review sections covering books, films, and museum exhibitions. It particularly encourages submissions that bridge subdisciplinary boundaries and engage with interdisciplinary conversations in fields like science and technology studies, environmental humanities, and critical race theory.

Notable editors and contributors

The journal has been shaped by a distinguished lineage of editors, including early figures like Franz Boas and later influential scholars such as George W. Stocking Jr., Sydel Silverman, and Michael F. Brown. Recent editors-in-chief include Tom Boellstorff and the current editor, Deborah Thomas. A vast array of seminal anthropologists have contributed pivotal works, from Bronisław Malinowski and A.R. Radcliffe-Brown to Marshall Sahlins, Sherry Ortner, and Arjun Appadurai. It has also published influential texts by scholars like Eric R. Wolf, Dell Hymes, and Nancy Scheper-Hughes, often introducing key concepts such as political economy, ethnography of speaking, and structural violence to a broad readership.

Impact and influence

As the premier journal of the American Anthropological Association, it exerts considerable influence on the direction of anthropological research, pedagogy, and public engagement. Articles published have often defined disciplinary debates, such as those on reflexivity, writing culture, and the ontological turn. Its impact extends beyond academia, informing policy discussions, cultural criticism, and social movements. The journal's commitment to public anthropology has facilitated dialogues on issues from repatriation under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act to the anthropology of globalization and human rights. It is consistently ranked among the top journals in the field by metrics such as the Social Sciences Citation Index and is a cornerstone of academic libraries worldwide.

Publication details

The journal is published quarterly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Anthropological Association. All issues from 1888 onward are digitally archived and accessible through platforms like AnthroSource, JSTOR, and Wiley Online Library. It operates a hybrid open-access model, allowing authors to publish their work as immediately open access under various Creative Commons licenses. Manuscript submissions are managed through an online portal and undergo a rigorous double-anonymous peer-review process. The journal also awards the annual W. W. Howells Book Prize in biological anthropology and participates in initiatives like the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to minimize its environmental footprint.

Category:Anthropology journals Category:Publications established in 1888 Category:Quarterly journals Category:English-language journals Category:American Anthropological Association