American Anthropologist

American Anthropologist
Title	American Anthropologist
Discipline	Anthropology
Abbreviation	Am. Anthropol.
Publisher	American Anthropological Association
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1888–present

Contents

American Anthropologist is the flagship peer‑reviewed journal of the American Anthropological Association published in the United States. It serves as a central venue for scholarship from scholars connected to institutions such as Harvard University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Michigan. The journal frequently features work by authors affiliated with museums like the American Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, and Field Museum of Natural History. Its editorial decisions interact with professional organizations including the Royal Anthropological Institute, British Academy, and National Endowment for the Humanities.

History

Founded in 1888 during debates among early members of the American Anthropological Association and figures associated with the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History, the journal arose amid dialogues involving scholars from Columbia University, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Early editors and contributors included affiliates of the Bureau of American Ethnology, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and researchers influenced by works such as Boas's studies and the ethnographic practices linked to Bronisław Malinowski, Edward Burnett Tylor, and Lewis Henry Morgan. Over the twentieth century the publication engaged debates reverberating through institutions like New York University, Yale University, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge, and responded to research trends from the French School of Anthropology and the Berlin School of Anthropology. During periods shaped by the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement, the journal reflected scholarship connected to scholars associated with Howard University, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The journal covers ethnography, archaeology, linguistic analysis, and theoretical work produced by researchers linked to centers such as Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, and the School of American Research. Articles frequently address case studies from regions including Amazon Basin, Sahel, Andes, Himalayas, and Pacific Islands with contributions referencing fieldwork in locales like Mexico City, Yaoundé, Kabul, Beijing, and Ulaanbaatar. It publishes research on material culture discussed alongside collections from institutions such as the British Museum, Louvre, Museum of Natural History, London, and Victoria and Albert Museum. Thematic issues have engaged topics intersecting with work affiliated with United Nations, World Bank, International Labour Organization, and heritage programs of the UNESCO.

As a quarterly journal produced under the auspices of the American Anthropological Association, the periodical follows peer review procedures practiced at comparable outlets including Current Anthropology, Annual Review of Anthropology, and Ethnohistory. Editorial boards have included scholars drawn from faculties at Princeton University, Stanford University, Duke University, Brown University, and University of Pennsylvania. The journal’s production involves copyediting and typesetting practices aligned with publishers such as Wiley-Blackwell and Routledge and distribution networks used by organizations like JSTOR and Project MUSE. Special issues have been guest edited by researchers associated with centers like Max Planck Society and funded projects from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and Humanities Research Council.

The journal has published influential articles by scholars whose careers intersect with institutions such as Columbia University (e.g., authors in the lineage of Franz Boas), London School of Economics (school linked to Malinowski), University of Chicago (relating to the Chicago school), and University of California, Berkeley (associated with critical theory). Seminal pieces have engaged debates connected to publications like The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, Argonauts of the Western Pacific, and methodological innovations advanced in venues such as American Antiquity and Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. Contributions have shaped conversations related to legal anthropology in courts influenced by precedents like the Indian Citizenship Act and scholarly responses to events such as the Trail of Tears commemorations, as well as ethical debates proximate to the NAGPRA process and museum repatriation cases at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and Peabody Museum.

Scholars at universities including Yale University, University of California, Santa Cruz, and University of Wisconsin–Madison have cited the journal in debates alongside journals such as American Ethnologist, Cultural Anthropology, and Social Anthropology. Its influence extends into public policy arenas engaging the United Nations, World Health Organization, and national agencies such as the National Institutes of Health when ethnographic insights inform programs in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. The journal has featured work that contributed to award recognition connected with honors like the MacArthur Fellowship and professional distinctions from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic services and platforms used by researchers at Oxford University Press libraries, Cambridge University Press collections, and consortia including JSTOR, Project MUSE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Institutional access often routes through university libraries at Harvard University, University of Michigan, University of California, and national libraries such as the Library of Congress. Digital archives include collections maintained by repositories tied to the Smithsonian Institution and scholarly databases used by researchers at the Max Planck Institute.

Category:Anthropology journals