ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the professional ethics of cultural expertise. It aims to encourage reflection on the risks and unintended consequences that arise from the engagement of anthropologists with cultural expertise. Professional ethics concern the principles of professionals. They prescribe the ethical duties linked to specific professions. The emphasis on professional codes stems from the increase in anthropology graduates and cultural experts working in applied branches alongside policymakers, lawyers, military officers, and corporations. Yet, no mandatory professional registration or code of ethics applies to anthropologists. Instead, various national associations exist with voluntary codes designed to establish the basis on which research is undertaken and conducted and to promote an ethically conscious profession. As expert witnesses, cultural experts are called to provide evidence on matters relevant to their expertise but providing expertise in court presents a dichotomy.
