This Roundtable builds on discussions rooted in the global anthropologies movement, furthered by WCAA in its Task Force: “Associations and world anthropologies: enhancing dialogues, promoting collaborative initiatives, and social solidarity”.
On this occasion, we are interested in emphasizing associations as collective spaces within the profession, bringing together anthropologists with diverse backgrounds and careers. These associations can define their operational dynamics, overcoming inertia and avoiding imposed bureaucracies such as those prevalent in Academia with the proliferation of accreditations, establishment of standards, international rankings, and so on. Their perspectives can therefore lead to novel approaches to and insights about the discipline.
It is also important to consider the perspective of anthropologists' associations, which, despite being central agents in organizing and promoting vital aspects of the discipline's capital (such as congresses, publications, etc.), are often invisibilized or undervalued and relegated to a purely operational role.
For this Round Table, we have defined three key areas for associations to engage in dialogue:
4. What is the role of the association in the local/national anthropology field?
5. What are the discussions within the association regarding the discipline?
6. How do they articulate with national/regional/global contexts?
It is important for us to highlight the heterogeneity of anthropologies and their associations within a global framework such as the WCAA. This aims to facilitate genuine dialogue that allows us to disrupt certain inertia and hegemonies among these anthropologies. Through this reflective space, we seek to strengthen bonds between associations, as well as between them and the WCAA, foster solidarity, and revive discussions that emphasize the diversities that shape us as a discipline.
Keywords:
Anthropological associations, local, regional and global