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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

On being informative and convincing in the Academia of the Post-Gutenberg world

presenters

    Lukasz Kaczmarek

    Nationality: Poland

    Residence: Poland

    Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan

    Presence:Face to Face/ On Site

In recent decades in Poland, we have observed a decline in interest in anthropological studies and the popularity of anthropology as a discipline commenting on the social situation in various places around the world. This results from ethical and methodological self-limitations, including the reluctance to essentialize, exotify, using primitive typologies, narrow categorizations, and simplified definitions of the described people, groups, phenomena, and situations. In short, we do not allow ourselves to do what has become the basis of modern commercial and political marketing, because our mission is to expose and deconstruct patterns of manipulation and disinformation, not to use them. We try to act honestly and consistently reach out to new circles that may be interested in cooperation and anthropological knowledge, but we achieve success (if we can use this word) only among those with a certain critical and contesting potential, especially in creative circles. At our Institute in Poznań, we have achieved some successes in interdisciplinary cooperation in obtaining research grants and publishing, entering new fields of interest, and developing existing ones. We also explore new means of expression in the field of anthropology and multisensory ethnography, attracting young activists and art students to cooperate. We also organize events such as congresses, conferences, seminars, exhibitions, and workshops to be present in public spaces. This results in high marks for our Institute but does not improve the overall situation of anthropology. Additionally, I see the explanation for this situation in the changing habits of acquiring knowledge in the post-Gutenberg world of constant digital stimulation and social networking sites. I wonder what else we can do to gain new audiences and attract active young people so that anthropology can maintain its autonomy in today's world.

Keywords:

academic anthropology; political anthropology; anthropology and education