About the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education
A commission of the IUAES (International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences)
Commission on: Anthropology and Education
Chairs:
Giovanna Guslini g.guslini@gmail.com
Kiran Jayaram kjayaram@usf.edu
Secretary:
Sophie Cowling education.iuaes@gmail.com
1. Join the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education
Are you teaching, working or researching in the field of Anthropology and Education?
The IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education is seeking members who are engaged in the fields of Anthropology and Education. The commission aims to connect researchers, educators, and students who share an interest in teaching practices worldwide, and/ or how anthropology is taught and applied in educational contexts. It focuses on both the anthropology of education (examining educational practices and institutions through an anthropological lens) and anthropology in education (integrating anthropological concepts and methods into educational curricula). We also welcome members whose work and research touches upon education and pedagogy in other ways: for example those who are engaged in raising awareness of new audiences in public settings and in the community at large and those who teach the anthropological perspective through other subjects.
The commission’s activities include:
- Sharing experiences and strategies for incorporating anthropology into pre-university education.
- Comparing the teaching and learning of anthropology across different educational settings, such as schools, colleges, universities, adult education centers, and extracurricular activities.
- Facilitating the exchange of research and ideas among members whose work involves educational topics.
If you are interested in joining the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education, please contact Sophie Cowling at education.iuaes[at]gmail.com. You can also complete the sign-up form to become a member.
To be a member, you must already be a member of the IUAES. Find out more information here.
2. History of the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education
IUAES 2015
On 17th July 2015 at the IUAES 2015 Inter-Congress, Bangkok Re-imagining Anthropological and Sociological Boundaries, WCAA delegates met to discuss possibilities in the form of a face to face meeting. David Shankland proposed a joint WCAA-IUAES panel on the place of anthropology in pre-university education which would also be the first meeting of the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education. The need to develop a more global understanding of anthropology education was evident following events in England. In early 2015 AQA announced its decision to not redevelop Anthropology A-Level (a qualification for 16-18 year olds offered by some schools and sixth-form colleges in England).
IUAES 2016
The first formal gathering of the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education took place at a joint WCAA-IUAES panel entitled ‘The teaching of anthropology in schools’ on 7th May 2016 at the IUAES 2016 Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The conference theme was ‘World anthropologies and privatization of knowledge: engaging anthropology in public’. The secretary of the commission was voted in at this meeting and names were collected from attendees who wished to be part of the commission. The panel gave those present an opportunity to discuss the decision to discontinue anthropology A Level, the complementary roles of Anthropology of Education and Anthropology in Education, similarities and differences between anthropology as it is taught in pre-university and university education and the extent to which Anthropology is being taught as part of other qualifications and extra-curricular activities around the world.
World Humanities Conference 2017
On 10th August 2017, the commission held the ‘Anthropology and Education’ symposium at the World Humanities Conference in Liège, Belgium. The conference was co-organized by UNESCO, the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH) and the World Humanities Conference – Liège 2017 Foundation. The symposium featured six papers which addressed anthropological approaches to education and anthropology in a range of educational settings. For example, international mindedness was discussed in relation to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Social and Cultural Anthropology. Speakers also discussed summer camps for undergraduate students, anthropology in early-years education and anthropology in high school. Several papers drew upon examples of teachers using anthropological content and approaches in their classrooms to help students discuss culture, difference and diversity. Benefits and future possibilities of introducing anthropology into a range of educational settings were explored.
IUAES 2018
Between 16 July – 20 July 2018, the IUAES Anthropology and Education commission met in Florianópolis, Brazil at the 18th World Congress of the IUAES. The conference theme was “World (of) Encounters: The past, present and future of anthropological knowledge”.
Three commission meetings took place to discuss the mission statement, plan future directions and activities and forge links with the ABA Commission on Education, Science and Technology A symposium on Culture, Learning and Education involved speakers from both commissions.
Four open panels were organised at the World Congress in association with the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education:
OP 019. Anthropology in the Classroom – How Is It Taught?
Panel convenors: Emma Ford (Royal Anthropological Institute) – United Kingdom
David Homa (Los Gatos High School) – United States of America
OP 066. Education and Wellbeing: Correspondent Ecologies
Panel convenors: Elizabeth Ann Rahman (University of Oxford) – United Kingdom,
Krzysztof Bierski (Freie Universitaet Berlin) – Germany
OP 143. Preparing Postgraduate Students for Diverse Careers
Panel convenors: Daniel Ginsberg (American Anthropological Association) – United States of America
Steffen Jöhncke (University of Copenhagen) – Denmark
OP 188. Towards a “pedagogy of intercultural/peaceful coexistence”: teaching anthropology in multicultural societies
Panel Convenors: Nora Christine Braun (Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen) – Germany
Gordon Mathews (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) – Hong Kong
IUAES 2019
At the IUAES Inter-World Congress in Poland (Poznań) 27-31 August 2019 in addition to a meeting of the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education, the commission held three panels and a workshop:
Panel: Games, Technology and Concepts: resources we use for teaching and learning anthropology
Emma Ford (Royal Anthropological Institute) UK
Mailing Rivera Lam (Universidad de Antofagasta) Chile
Workshop: writing for a public of non-anthropologists
Workshop Convenors:
Giovanna Guslini (Formerly of the Ministry of Education, University and Research, Intercultural and International Training) Italy
Ajeet Jaiswal (Pondicherry University) India
Sabine Klocke-Daffa (University of Tuebingen) Germany
Panel: Teaching and Learning Anthropology
Joy Hendry (Oxford Brookes University), UK
Kevin Purday (University of Cape Town) South Africa
Panel: The value of anthropology to therapists, counselors, coaches and educational professionals
Malka Shabtay (The Israeli Ministry of Education) Israel
Kiran Lata Dangwal (University of Lucknow) India
Anthropology and Geography Conference 2020
In 2020 the commission participated in the Online Anthropology and Geography: Dialogues Past, Present and Future Conference from 14-18 September 2020. This conference was jointly organised by the RAI, the RGS, the British Academy, the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at SOAS, and the British Museum’s Department for Africa, Oceania and the Americas. The IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education held the following panel and commission meeting:
ED01 Education outside the University – schools, outreach and the public: Geography and Anthropology in Conversation
Emma Ford (Royal Anthropological Institute/IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education)
Daniel Ginsberg (American Anthropological Association)
ED03 Meeting of the IUAES Anthropology and Education Commission
David Shankland (Chair of the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education)
Emma Ford (Secretary of the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education)
IUAES 2020
The IUAES 2020 Inter-Congress took place online from 9 to 14 March 2021.The IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education held the following three panels and a commission meeting:
Panel no. 41 Technology: Teaching and Learning Anthropology Around the World Convenors: Mary Hallin, Emma Ford. Discussant: Virgina R. Dominguez.
Panel no. 60 Anthropology as Education. Exploring Practices and Opportunities to Employ Anthropology in the Formation of the Citizens and the Professionals of the Future. Convenors: Leonardo Menegola, Joy Hendry
Panel no. 54 What Can Anthropology Offer and What Can It Receive from the New Generations? How to Set up a Bottom-Up Teaching and a Bidirectional Relationship Convenors: Giovanna Guslini, Sabine Klocke-Daffa, Discussant: Vesna Vučinić Nešković
IUAES 2021
The Commission took part in IUAES 2021 which was held virtually from the 9 – 13 November 2021 in Yucatán, Mexico. Our commission members organised three panels and a roundtable:
Panel 86 – Afterlives of Education and the Revision of Aspirations
Convenors: John Loewenthal, Jessica Garber and Michelle Zhang
Panel 31 – Anthropology of Educational Settings: New Trends and Challenges
Convenors: Joy Hendry and Bóris Maia
Roundtable 14 – Learning and living nowadays: a round table in honor of Jean Lave
Convenors: Julieta Briseño-Roa and Ana María R. Gomez
#9 Meeting of the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education: existing and potential new commission members are very welcome
Convenors: David Shankland, Emma Ford
Panel 56 – Heritage, an educational challenge for world citizens
Convenors: Giovanna Guslini, Sabine Klocke-Daffa and Antonella Imperatriz Tassinari
Discussant: Vesna Vučinić-Nešković
Anthropology, AI and the Future of Human Society Virtual Conference 2022
After the cancellation of the IUAES St Petersburg Congress, the Education Commission panels proposed were instead included in the RAI Anthropology, AI and the Future of Human Society Virtual Conference, which took place on 6 -10 June 2022. The following panels and round tables were presented:
Education and Mobility Today: Integrating Digital and Visual Technology with Physical Learning
Convenors: Giovanna Guslini, Mary Hallin and Mina Rad
Communicating the Moving World to Audiences of Non-Anthropologists
Convenors: Giovanna Guslini and Natalia Bloch
IUAES-WAU World Anthropology Congress 2023
The commission sponsored the following panels at the IUAES-WAU World Anthropology Congress 2023 Delhi 14-20 October 2023:
Panel 103- Anthropology in India: Institutional Histories and Practices
Convened by Dr David Shankland and Prof Soumendra Mohan Patnaik
Co-sponsored by the Anthropology and Education and the Public Policy and Development Practice commissions
Panel 022- Dynamics of Developing University Programs of New Anthropologies
Convened by Prof Kiran Jayaram and Prof Ritu Verma
Workshop 3- Exploring (neoliberal) Leadership through the Body: a participatory theatre workshop
Convened by Dr Rich Thornton and Ms Riya Biswas
Co-sponsored by the Anthropology and Education and the Anthropology of Tourism Commissions
Panel 075- World Anthropologies: Learning across Countries, Cultures and Disciplines (online only/virtual participation)
Convened by Prof Giovanna Guslini and Dr Mary Hallin
Co-sponsored by the Anthropology and Education Commission and the Commission on Documentation
Anthropology and Education Conference 2024
The commission organised the following panel at the Anthropology and Education Conference 25-28 June 2024.
P50 – Teaching and learning across countries, cultures and disciplines: how can social and cultural skills build a multi-dimensional perspective of anthropology in education? (IUAES PANEL)
Convenors: Prof Giovanna Guslini and Dr Mary Hallin
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