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| Association of Social Anthropologists | |
|---|---|
| Name | Association of Social Anthropologists |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Learned society |
| Headquarters | London |
| Region served | United Kingdom and International |
| Leader title | President |
Association of Social Anthropologists.
The Association of Social Anthropologists is a learned society and professional body for practitioners and scholars of social anthropology, engaged in comparative fieldwork and ethnographic analysis across diverse regions. It connects members through publications, conferences and policy engagement, fostering dialogue between academic institutions, museums and international research councils. The association maintains links with universities, research institutes and charitable foundations to advance training, ethical standards and public outreach.
The association emerged amid postwar academic reorganisations influenced by figures such as Bronisław Malinowski, Margaret Mead, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Alfred Radcliffe-Brown and institutional shifts involving London School of Economics, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, School of Oriental and African Studies, University College London and University of Manchester. Early meetings drew scholars associated with fieldwork in regions referenced by British Empire, French Empire, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire decolonisation debates and comparative projects linked to Royal Anthropological Institute and American Anthropological Association. Over decades the association engaged with intellectual currents from structuralism to interpretive anthropology championed by Victor Turner, Clifford Geertz, Mary Douglas and methodological debates involving Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Paul Rabinow. Later developments included responses to ethical controversies highlighted by cases connected to Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, South African Museum field ethics, and collaborations with bodies such as Economic and Social Research Council and British Academy.
Governance typically involves an elected executive committee with roles comparable to those in Royal Anthropological Institute and learned societies like British Academy and Royal Society. Officers include a president, secretary and treasurer drawn from faculties at institutions such as University of Edinburgh, University of Sussex, SOAS University of London, University of York and Durham University. Panels and working groups liaise with funders such as Wellcome Trust, European Research Council and international organisations including UNESCO and World Health Organization on matters of ethics and practice. Constitutions and by-laws reflect precedents set by organisations like American Anthropological Association and International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences.
Membership comprises academics, early-career researchers and practitioners affiliated with departments at University of Bristol, University of Glasgow, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham and international centres such as Australian National University, University of California, Berkeley, National University of Singapore and University of Cape Town. Fellowship or honorary membership mirrors traditions in Royal Anthropological Institute and confers recognition akin to awards from British Academy or Academy of Social Sciences. Membership categories accommodate postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and independent researchers connected to archives at British Museum, National Archives (UK), Smithsonian Institution and regional museums like Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac.
The association publishes newsletters, policy briefings and collaborates on journals similar to Current Anthropology, American Anthropologist, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute and region-specific periodicals associated with Africa, Asia, Latin America studies. It issues statements on ethics drawing on codes from European Association of Social Anthropologists and produces bibliographies referencing monographs by E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Marcel Mauss, John Campbell, Sidney Mintz and recent work by Arjun Appadurai and Lila Abu-Lughod. Communications include online platforms, listservs and partnerships with presses such as Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge and Berghahn Books.
Annual and biennial conferences convene at venues including University of Oxford, SOAS University of London, University of Manchester and international sites coordinated with organisations like International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences. Programmes feature panels on fieldwork in locales such as Amazon Rainforest, Sahel, Horn of Africa, Pacific Islands, Andes and metropolitan studies of London, New York City, Mumbai and Cape Town. Events often host keynote lectures honoring scholars linked to Victor Turner, Clifford Geertz, Margaret Mead and interdisciplinary collaborations with Department for International Development and Human Rights Watch.
The association contributes evidence to policy debates by engaging with governmental bodies including UK Parliament select committees and international agencies like World Bank and United Nations Development Programme. Research networks address applied topics with funders such as Economic and Social Research Council, Wellcome Trust and European Commission programmes; projects intersect with archives at National Geographic Society and museum collections at British Museum and Smithsonian Institution. Influence extends to ethical guidance in fieldwork, refugee studies connected to UNHCR, public health collaborations with World Health Organization and heritage issues involving UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
The association administers prizes and fellowships comparable to honours from Royal Anthropological Institute, British Academy and Academy of Social Sciences, awarding early-career grants and publication prizes. Named lectures and medals commemorate figures such as Bronisław Malinowski, Edward Evans-Pritchard and Margaret Mead, while travel bursaries enable fieldwork in regions overseen by bodies like National Endowment for the Humanities and Fulbright Program. Recognition supports interdisciplinary exchanges with institutions including Wellcome Collection, Tate Modern and international consortia such as European Research Council.