ABSTRACT
Which of the author's findings were most relevant, and what were the best ways to communicate authors research and ensure its situated usefulness within the humanitarian sector? Because of the nature of the neoliberal ideologies that underpin humanitarian programs, these programs and project participants alike are cast as a static, or stuck, list of problems that can be addressed in simple ways. Anthropology can become activism through its insertion in this process as anthropological perspectives applied to humanitarian focused research and policy development ensure that “program beneficiaries” become central stakeholders rather than passive recipients of services that they might not understand or agree with. The distinction between emic (insider) and etic (outsider) knowledge, and to what extent an anthropologist has to be an insider or outsider to garner this knowledge, is an area of continuing debate within anthropology. A. J. Faas astutely underlines that anthropologists to date have been weary about engaging in policy discussions.
