Applied anthropology

This new chapter presents an underappreciated area of anthropology: the application of anthropological knowledge and methods to practical problems. Variously named applied anthropology, engaged anthropology, activist anthropology, and public anthropology among others (with somewhat different meanings and implications), the majority of anthropologists today work in applied, practical fields such as government, business, medicine, the military, community development, human rights and indigenous rights, and many more. After introducing the variety of forms of applied anthropology and the subjects to which it can be applied, the chapter turns to the history of applied anthropology, demonstrating that anthropology has long been a practical and not merely an academic discipline. The chapter then explores in depth a selection of specific sectors of application, including business, military, indigenous rights and development, and expert witness, revealing the kinds of capacities in which anthropologists have served and the kinds of projects to which they have contributed their expertise.