ABSTRACT
Anthropologists bring several challenges to the assumptions of other writers on alcohol. The general tenor of the anthropological perspective is that celebration is normal and that in most cultures alcohol is a normal adjunct to celebration. Drinking is essentially a social act, performed in a recognized social context. Anthropologists are making visible, distinct, and often controversial contributions to the study of alcohol and alcohol-related problems. An examination of the home institutions of the more than fifty anthropologists reviewed for this article demonstrates that approximately twenty work within anthropology or anthropology-sociology academic departments. The professional location of anthropologists in departments and institute of “other” disciplines is a telling reflection of the interdisciplinary nature of its research orientation. A further and clear sign of the cross-fertilization of work with other fields is the prevalence of collaborative research projects, joint publications, and those references cited by survey respondents that they considered particularly useful.
