Society for Applied Anthropology

Society for Applied Anthropology
Name	Society for Applied Anthropology
Formation	1941
Type	Learned society
Purpose	Applied anthropology promotion
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International
Leader title	President

Contents

Society for Applied Anthropology

The Society for Applied Anthropology is a professional association founded in 1941 that promotes the application of anthropological knowledge to public, corporate, and community problems. It brings together practitioners, scholars, and students from across the United States and internationally to engage with issues addressed by American Anthropological Association, United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank, and other institutional actors. The Society interacts with disciplinary and interdisciplinary partners including Association of American Universities, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation, and Smithsonian Institution.

History

Founded in 1941 amid debates involving members connected to Columbia University, University of Chicago, Harvard University, Yale University, and University of California, Berkeley, the organization emerged as part of a broader wartime and postwar mobilization of experts that included contributors from Rosalind Franklin, Margaret Mead, Franz Boas, Bronisław Malinowski, and practitioners tied to agencies such as the Office of Strategic Services, Federal Emergency Relief Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps, and Works Progress Administration. Early meetings featured collaborations with Pan American Health Organization, International Labour Organization, League of Nations successors, and regional bodies like Organization of American States. Over subsequent decades the Society expanded its scope in parallel with shifts in applied work represented at Peace Corps, USAID, World Health Assembly, European Union, and other transnational forums. The trajectory of the Society intersected with moments such as the Cold War, decolonization in Africa, the Civil Rights Movement, and global public health responses like the HIV/AIDS epidemic and influenza outbreaks.

The Society’s mission emphasizes bridging scholarship and practice in contexts ranging from public policy arenas linked to United States Department of Health and Human Services to community-based initiatives exemplified by partnerships with Native American nations, urban coalitions in New York City, rural development programs in Kenya, and environmental planning projects tied to United Nations Environment Programme. Activities include advocacy before bodies like the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, technical assistance for non-governmental organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, consultancy work with corporations and foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and collaborations with museums and archives like the National Museum of Natural History. Programs address applied topics featured in dialogues with actors from World Trade Organization negotiations to regional planning commissions in California and Texas.

Membership comprises academics and practitioners from institutions such as Indiana University Bloomington, University of Arizona, University of Michigan, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, as well as staff from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, UNICEF, and private consultancies. Governance follows a board model with elected officers including a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and committee chairs drawn from sectors like health, environment, business, and community development. The Society organizes chapters and sections analogous to networks in Latin America and Southeast Asia and maintains affiliations with groups such as the American Public Health Association, Society for Medical Anthropology, and regional societies at institutions like University of São Paulo and University of Cape Town.

The Society publishes peer-reviewed journals and bulletins that engage audiences across multiple sectors, with outlets cited alongside periodicals like American Anthropologist, Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Human Organization, and others. Its conferences and meetings attract presenters affiliated with American Association for the Advancement of Science, Royal Anthropological Institute, Society for Applied Sociology, and program partners including International Congress of Anthropology. Annual meetings feature panels on topics tied to grants from National Endowment for the Humanities, project briefs linked to Rockefeller Foundation, and symposia involving actors from Harvard School of Public Health and London School of Economics. Regional workshops have convened at venues including University of California, Los Angeles, University of Texas at Austin, University of Washington, and international sites such as University of Oxford and University of Melbourne.

Notable projects associated with members have included applied research in global health partnerships with Médecins Sans Frontières, community-based interventions in collaboration with Red Cross, evaluations for United Nations Development Programme, and environmental impact assessments for initiatives tied to International Union for Conservation of Nature. Members contributed to policy reports submitted to Congressional Research Service committees, program designs adopted by United Nations Children's Fund, and evaluation frameworks used by the Gates Foundation. Fieldwork and applied interventions have influenced local planning in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, São Paulo, and Mumbai, and informed disaster responses after events like Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

The Society confers awards and honors that recognize excellence in applied research and practice, similar in prestige to prizes bestowed by American Anthropological Association sections and fellowships funded by National Science Foundation and Fulbright Program. Named awards have celebrated lifetime achievement, community-engaged scholarship, student research, and public anthropology outreach, with laureates drawn from institutions such as Princeton University, University of California, San Diego, Duke University, McGill University, and leading public agencies. The Society’s awardees have been recognized in broader forums including ceremonies at Smithsonian Institution and events sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Category:Anthropology organizations