A Biennial AAfH Anthropology for Humankind Event

Anthropology as a discipline has emphasized the elaboration of understandings about humans across space and time, no matter the national or regional context of the scholar’s training. Whether to document people’s biocultural heritage (Anthropological Survey of India), to demonstrate how empirical data disproves ideologies of racial hierarchies (Antenor Firmin), or to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange (sociocultural anthropology), anthropological findings have explicated important elements of humans’ existence. Yet even within these three examples from different anthropological traditions, implicit in all of them is the transformative nature of such knowledge through its application.

As such, the organizers of the WAAC 2023 seek proposals for panels, papers, or posters based upon original and unpublished results that address the questions: what are the socially relevant findings from empirical research that address important problems of the contemporary moment, and how can they be, or have they been put to use for social change? The organizers invite submissions that address the conundrums of humans’ lives and offer ways of resolving them. Submissions may relate to any topic within biological anthropology, cultural or social anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, or cognate disciplines, may draw upon research from anywhere humans are, and may be historical or contemporary in chronological orientation. In addition, this Congress will celebrate the life and work of  Prof. Michael H. Crawford. Given this celebration and the pressing issues of the current moment, the organizers are particularly (but not solely) interested in proposals on the following topics:

·       Anthropological Genetics

·       Biocultural Anthropology

·       Health, Disease, and Disparities

·       Anthropology of Migration or Mobility

·       Displacement and Resettlement

·       Anthropology and Education

·       COVID and other pandemics

·       Gender and Sexual Identities and Queerness

·       Religious Pluralism and Secularism

·       Racism, Casteism, and/or Heteronormative Patriarchy

·       Consequences of Environmental or Climate Changes

·       Food insecurity, Malnutrition, and Poverty

·       New Technologies and Consequences

·       Issues of Urban Space and Place

·       Unintended Consequences of Development and Public Policy

·       Universal Rights, Human Rights, and Sovereignty

·       Ethno-nationalist and other forms of Violence

·       Mental Health

·       Cultural Resource Management and Patrimony

·       Language Endangerment, Preservation, and Revitalization

·       Politics of Language

·       Repatriation of Human Remains or Material Culture

·       Contemporary Encounters with Historical Cemeteries

·       Bioarcheology

We are  calling for submissions of full panels, individual (or co-authored) papers, posters, and sessions of “rapid-fire talks” focused on a theme. All presentations and papers must be given in English.

To increase participation from around the world, presentations may be given virtually or in-person. Questions can be directed to  [email protected].