Canadian Anthropology Society

Canadian Anthropology Society
Name	Canadian Anthropology Society
Formation	1940s
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario
Region served	Canada
Language	English, French
Leader title	President

Canadian Anthropology Society

The Canadian Anthropology Society is a national learned society that represents professional and academic practitioners in Canada who study human cultural, social, biological, and archaeological variation. It serves as a hub connecting researchers affiliated with institutions such as University of Toronto, McGill University, University of British Columbia, Université de Montréal, and University of Alberta with community partners in regions like Nunavut, Yukon, Prince Edward Island, and British Columbia Coast. The Society interfaces with international bodies including the American Anthropological Association, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, and UNESCO-related programs.

History

Founded in the mid-20th century, the Society emerged alongside postwar expansion at universities such as McMaster University and Queen's University and in response to archaeological projects on sites like Kensington Runestone investigations and excavations in the Great Lakes and Prairies. Early membership included scholars trained at institutions such as London School of Economics and Harvard University who collaborated with field programs in the Canadian Arctic and on museum collections at institutions like the Canadian Museum of History and the Royal Ontario Museum. The Society played roles during debates tied to landmark developments including the implementation of cultural property legislation such as the Canadian Cultural Property Export and Import Act and policy discussions following events like the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. Over decades it adapted to intellectual shifts prompted by scholars associated with schools like University of Chicago and movements linked to the rise of postcolonial studies and indigenous methodologies exemplified by leaders connected with University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University.

Organization and Governance

The Society is governed by an elected executive including a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary, who work with a Council composed of representatives from academic departments such as Dalhousie University and Memorial University of Newfoundland, as well as representatives from museum sectors like the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Standing committees address ethics, publications, and conference planning; these committees liaise with regulatory frameworks influenced by statutes such as provincial heritage acts in Ontario and Saskatchewan, and with professional guidelines shaped by associations like the Association of Canadian Archivists. Governance cycles follow an annual general meeting hosted in rotation at universities including University of Manitoba and Université Laval.

Membership and Chapters

Membership categories encompass student members, professional anthropologists, emeriti, and institutional members drawn from departments at Concordia University, Carleton University, Brock University, and other campuses. Regional chapters provide local programming in metropolitan areas like Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, and in northern hubs such as Iqaluit; special interest groups link members working on themes associated with archives at the Canadian War Museum, cultural heritage in Newfoundland and Labrador, or urban studies tied to Calgary. The Society collaborates with indigenous organizations and community councils active in treaty areas including the Treaty 8 and Treaty 6 territories, and it maintains reciprocal arrangements with bodies such as the Archaeological Institute of America.

Conferences and Publications

Annual conferences rotate among partner institutions and have been hosted at venues including McGill University, University of Toronto Mississauga, and University of Alberta. The meetings commonly feature symposia on subjects connected to fieldwork in locations like the Haida Gwaii archipelago and the Bay of Fundy, panels involving curators from the Canadian Museum of Nature, and roundtables with policymakers who have worked on files related to the Joint Task Force on Northern Economic Development. The Society publishes a peer-reviewed journal and a newsletter; contributors have included authors affiliated with Oxford University Press and editors with ties to publishing houses such as University of British Columbia Press and McGill-Queen's University Press. Monograph series and edited volumes arising from conference proceedings often cite archival materials held at institutions like the Library and Archives Canada.

Research and Advocacy Initiatives

The Society supports research grants and fellowships that have funded projects on Indigenous languages in collaboration with First Nations communities, archaeological surveys in contexts tied to the Trans-Canada Highway corridors, and bioarchaeological studies using collections from museums such as the Glenbow Museum. Advocacy priorities include ethical stewardship of collections, repatriation dialogues connected to cases like transfers negotiated with provincial museums, and interventions in federal consultations on heritage protection and environmental assessments tied to pipelines and resource projects affecting territories under the jurisdiction of bodies like the National Energy Board and provincial regulators. Partnerships extend to international research networks including collaborations with scholars at University College London and the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology.

Awards and Recognition

The Society confers awards recognizing lifetime achievement, early-career scholarship, outstanding dissertations, and community-engaged research; recipients have come from departments such as York University, Simon Fraser University, and Université de Sherbrooke. Prizes are often named in honor of prominent figures who shaped Canadian anthropology and museology, and award ceremonies are held at annual meetings alongside lectures by visiting scholars associated with institutions such as Harvard University and University of Cambridge. The Society also endorses nominations for national honours, including submissions to the Order of Canada and to prizes administered by organizations like the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Category:Learned societies of Canada Category:Anthropology organizations