Anthropology as we know it today has been around for a little over a hundred years, along with the “four fields” of archaeology and cultural, biological, and linguistic anthropology.   Up until recently it was largely a scholarly or academic enterprise, with most anthropologists engaged in university teaching and research or affiliated with museums.  

Anthropology has been put to practical use throughout its history.  One early example is the formation of the U.S. government Bureau of American Ethnology in 1879.  The term “applied anthropology” was first used in England in 1906.  But the field of applied anthropology actually dates to 1941, with the formation of the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Applied anthropology (also known as “practical anthropology” and as “practicing anthropology”) can be defined as the application of anthropological knowledge and skills to the needs of society.

This fifth field of anthropology has increased dramatically in the past three decades.  According to the Encyclopedia of Anthropology (vol. 1, p. 138, Sage, 2006), “Over the last 30 years, the majority of anthropologists with master’s and doctoral degrees have found employment in nonacademic settings.”  Today, most anthropology graduates – Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorates – pursue applied rather than academic careers.  The Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance (13th ed, vol. 2, p. 147,2005) foresees that “most new jobs [in anthropology] arising in the near future will be in non-teaching positions in consulting firms, research institutes, corporations, and federal, state, and local government agencies.  Among the factors contributing to this growth is increased environmental, historic, and cultural preservation legislation.”

All four traditional fields of anthropology are increasingly applied or put to practical use.  Some of the more common applications are in:

•    Health and medicine - Medical Anthropology
•    Education - Educational Anthropology
•    Development projects in developing nations - Development Anthropology
•    Business and industry – Business and Industrial Anthropology
•    Historic and prehistoric preservation – Cultural Resource Management
•    Criminal investigation – Forensic Anthropology
•    Environment – Environmental Anthropology
•    Immigration
•    Human rights
•    The military

Applied Anthropologists work for universities, government agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and international organizations.

Applied anthropologists work in a variety of different roles:

•    Researcher
•    Analyst
•    Evaluator
•    Planner
•    Advocate
•    Consultant
•    Educator
•    Mediator
•    Administrator

Organizations

•     The Society for Applied Anthropology   http://www.sfaa.net/
•     National Association for the Practice of Anthropology   http://www.practicinganthropology.org/about/
•     High Plains Society for Applied Anthropology   http://hpsfaa.org/
•     Consortium of Practicing and Applied Anthropology Programs   http://www.copaa.info/

Journals

•     Human Organization
•     Practicing Anthropology

Videos

   •    Anthropology...What can you do with that?