SfAA Portland 2019 is the annual meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA). It will be hosted in Portland, OR from March 19-23, 2019. The theme of the program this year is titled “Engaging Change In Turbulent Times.”
The context of SfAA Portland 2019
On the SfAA website, the 2019 Program Chair Michael Paolisso states:
A fundamental interest in the processes, directions, and consequences of change lie at the center of our inquiry and practice, regardless of the subject, approach, or location. Today, the content, pace, and process of change are staggering in their breadth, diversity, uncertainty, and impact. The communities where we live and work may be experiencing pronounced uncertainty, isolationism, extremism, trauma and violence, and racial and ethnic tensions. Skepticism is on the rise, along with fear, particularly of others. We recognize the need for more civil dialogue yet struggle to create sustainable and meaningful civic engagement with those with whom we differ. Economic livelihoods and environmental sustainability are in jeopardy. Our trust in elected officials has eroded, and many have lost confidence in our political institutions. Change is at the core of anthropology and related applied social sciences, and these are truly turbulent times.
Questions for SfAA Portland 2019
Paolisso goes on to ask:
What do these turbulent times mean for applied anthropologists? How do these times challenge the foundational assumptions and debates within the applied social sciences? Are current political, cultural, economic, health, racial, immigration and environmental discourses and practices combining to create new levels and forms of change, and how are we responding through research, practice, and advocacy? How do we integrate a holistic understanding of these turbulent times into our teaching and training of future generations of applied social scientists?
Applying Anthropology at SfAA Portland 2019
Wrapping up, Paolisso states:
The 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in Portland, Oregon, provides an ideal venue for applied social scientists to reflect on the challenges we face in these turbulent times, and to identify opportunities to positively affect future outcomes.
A Look Back at SfAA Philadelphia 2018
At the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) 2018 annual meeting in Philadelphia, Adam Gamwell and I presented a paper on the topic of anthropology podcasting as part of the New Methods, Interventions And Approaches session.
Our paper title was Consulting Podcasters: Prototyping a Democratic Tool for Multiple Voices, Storytelling and Solution Finding.
The session was recorded for the SfAA Podcasting project.
