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| Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania | |
|---|---|
| Name | Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania |
| Abbreviation | ASAO |
| Formation | 1978 |
| Type | Learned society |
| Purpose | Anthropological research and scholarship in Oceania |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | Oceania |
| Language | English |
| Leader title | President |
Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania The Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania is a learned society that supports scholarly research, publication, and professional exchange on the peoples and societies of Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and adjacent regions. The association sponsors an annual peer‑reviewed journal, regional conferences, and collaborative projects that link scholars affiliated with institutions such as Australian National University, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Auckland, University of Papua New Guinea, and University of Sydney. It maintains historical ties to networks connected with American Anthropological Association, Royal Anthropological Institute, School of Oriental and African Studies, College of William & Mary, and archives held by institutions like Hawaii State Archives and National Library of Australia.
ASAO was established in the late 1970s by scholars working on fieldwork across islands and atolls influenced by prior generations associated with Bronisław Malinowski, Margaret Mead, Malinowski's Fieldwork Society, Raymond Firth, and regional ethnographers such as Peter Lawrence and Diane Gordon. Early organizers included members linked to university departments at Cornell University, University of California, Berkeley, London School of Economics, University of Oxford, and Australian National University. The association evolved through interactions with regional political developments involving Independence of Papua New Guinea, decolonisation of French Polynesia, and discussions following events like the Bougainville conflict. Over decades ASAO has adapted to changing scholarly priorities reflected in symposia at venues including Smithsonian Institution, Australian Museum, and conference series tied to American Anthropological Association meetings.
ASAO’s mission emphasizes supporting anthropological research on the peoples, cultures, and social processes of Oceania, engaging with intellectual traditions linked to figures such as Emile Durkheim and Claude Lévi‑Strauss through contemporary methodologies practiced by scholars at University of Canterbury, Victoria University of Wellington, Yale University, and Stanford University. Objectives include fostering peer review evident in outlets connected to Cambridge University Press and University of Chicago Press, promoting fieldwork ethics discussed alongside institutions like Human Rights Watch and International Council on Archives, and mentoring early‑career researchers affiliated with programs at Australian National University and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Membership encompasses academic and independent researchers, postgraduate students, and institutional representatives from centers such as Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, University of the South Pacific, and museums like the Bishop Museum. Governance typically includes an executive committee with roles mirroring structures at American Anthropological Association and Royal Anthropological Institute, including a President, Secretary, Treasurer, and regional representatives who liaise with partners like Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum and cultural bodies such as Te Papa Tongarewa. Committees oversee prizes, bursaries, and editorial decisions resembling practices at Society for Applied Anthropology and grant coordination with funders similar to Australian Research Council and New Zealand Marsden Fund.
The association publishes a flagship peer‑reviewed periodical, ASAO Journal, modeled on scholarly editorial standards practiced by journals like Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, American Ethnologist, and Oceania (journal). ASAO Journal features ethnographic articles, book reviews, and themed special issues addressing topics resonant with research produced at University of British Columbia, University of California, Los Angeles, Monash University, and independent scholars associated with archives at National Library of New Zealand. Editorial boards have included scholars who have also served on boards of Ethnology (journal), Pacific Affairs, and university presses such as University of Hawaiʻi Press.
ASAO organizes annual meetings and regional symposia, often held in conjunction with academic hosts like University of Auckland, Australian National University, University of the South Pacific, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and venues such as the Bishop Museum and Te Papa Tongarewa. Conferences attract presenters connected to projects funded by bodies like Australian Research Council and European Research Council, and they have convened panels on topics influenced by historical moments such as the Nuclear testing in the Pacific and legal cases heard in forums like International Court of Justice and regional land claims commissions. Workshops often collaborate with curators from British Museum and scholars linked to initiatives at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
ASAO supports research across domains exemplified by studies of kinship and social organization traced to the work of Bronisław Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown, archaeology projects associated with Te Rangi Hīroa (Sir Peter Buck), linguistic anthropology connected to researchers at SOAS University of London and University of Queensland, and environmental anthropology intersecting with programs at James Cook University and University of Hawaiʻi. Its influence appears in policy dialogues with regional institutions such as Pacific Islands Forum and conservation efforts involving Conservation International and World Wildlife Fund Pacific. ASAO‑sponsored research has contributed to legal, cultural heritage, and repatriation cases involving museums such as the British Museum and national institutions including National Museum of Samoa.
Partnerships include collaborations with academic institutions like University of the South Pacific, funding agencies akin to Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, regional organizations such as Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and international bodies like UNESCO and IUCN. Outreach activities involve public lectures, school programs modeled after initiatives at the Bishop Museum, and cooperative digital archiving efforts referencing standards used by Digital Public Library of America and Pacific Manuscripts Bureau. The association maintains networks with publishers, museums, and legal advocates engaged in cultural heritage, repatriation, and climate change adaptation across Oceania.
Category:Anthropological societies