ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses whether research and knowledge generated by cultural anthropology can change people's lifestyles for the better. It examines the current debate over the role of anthropology in military conflicts. Applied anthropology is anthropology ‘put to use'. It is sometimes called the fifth field of anthropology and involves anthropologists putting their skills and knowledge into practice to aid the people they study, inform public policy or contribute to some other real-world purpose. Applied anthropologists study subjects as diverse as agriculture, alcohol and drug abuse, development policies and practices, the effects of disasters, employment and labour, education and land use and land claims. International development aid can also cause environmental destruction. Anthropological knowledge can be used in warfare and in counterinsurgency operations to describe and evaluate the political and military capabilities of opposing forces. Applied anthropology was especially important during World War II.
