An Anthropology of Anthropology

As the book’s title suggests, this book uses anthropological methods and insights to study the practice of anthropology as an academic discipline. It considers the contexts that shape the discipline, especially its beliefs, its publications, and the degree to which what it produces is of value to others. An Anthropology of Anthropology explores alternative ways to assess the intellectual productivity of faculty besides measuring how many publications they produce in what period of time. It focuses on outcomes—what results from anthropological publications and projects.

Given anthropology’s precarious position—being small in size with limited funding but, at the same time, possessing great potential—this book calls for a paradigm shift, away from the publication treadmill, toward a more profile-raising paradigm that focuses on addressing a broad array of social concerns in meaningful ways. The book seeks to shift cultural anthropology’s paradigm from one focusing on “do no harm” to one emphasizing a “public anthropology” focused on benefitting others. Drawing on an anthropological dictum relating to exogamy—to marry out or die out—the book suggests anthropology needs to engage more effectively with the broader world. The alternative is to turn in on itself, diminishing its public importance and funding.

Rather than considering the discipline as a whole, the book narrows its focus to cultural anthropology, especially as it is practiced in the United  as a case study—so it can dig deeply into the field’s dynamics. It explores trends within the field over several decades and, in discussing them, includes over a thousand references. In brief, An Anthropology of Anthropology provides readers with much food for thought regarding the present state of cultural anthropology and its future possibilities.