ABSTRACT
The authors suggest that the tensions and uncertainties surrounding the anthropology/activism relationship offer a chance to reconsider the contributions that anthropology can make to global struggles, as well as an opportunity to rethink the fundamental question of “what anthropology is and does”. They recognize that many of today’s students enter the field with a burning desire to change the world and approach anthropology as a tool for addressing issues of profound personal import. Anthropology’s intrinsic reflexivity positions its practitioners to overcome many of the ethical quandaries associated with research in today’s most challenging contexts. Activism has long been an integral part of anthropology, even if it has not always been explicitly acknowledged or openly embraced. The rise of feminist scholarship in the 1970s also pushed anthropology and allied fields toward increasing engagement with communities and their struggles. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
