Why The World Needs Anthropologists (WWNA) is an annual symposium organized by the Applied Anthropology Network of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA). Running since 2013 and visiting several European countries, the conference has attracted more than 3,000 participants from across disciplines and sectors. Its aim is to demonstrate the relevance of practicing anthropologists to the contemporary world and the most pressing issues facing humanity.
The symposium follows a three-day structure: Knowing (keynotes and panels), Making (community-driven workshops and Pecha Kucha-style presentations), and Acting (network meetings and assemblies for non-anthropology colleagues). WWNA was co-founded by Dan Podjed and has become the flagship public-facing event for applied and practicing anthropology in Europe. The symposium also gave rise to an edited volume, Why the World Needs Anthropologists, a collection of essays on the practical application of anthropology.
Matt Artz has presented at WWNA multiple times, including talks on creator anthropology, algorithmic bias, and the application of anthropological thinking to technology and business contexts.