The SfAA Podcast Archive

Anthropology as a Profession: Qualitative Data’s Role in a Quantitative World - Briody

Anthropology as a Profession: Qualitative Data’s Role in a Quantitative World 
 
CHAIR: NEWTON, Kevin (U Memphis) 
 
NEWTON, Kevin (U Memphis) Quasi-Qualitative Methods Lead to Low-Hanging Fruit: A Case Study of a Consultancy Firm’s Approach to Anthropology SCHILL, Elizabeth (Partnership for Public Serv) Do Not Underestimate the Power of Qualitative Data: Lessons from Business and Government GEBERS, Jenessa (U Memphis) Amaadhi N’obulamu: How Diverse Approaches Benefit Water and Sanitation Research ROTH, Heather S., BRICKLE, Tyler, GONZALEZ, Stephen, and MCLAUGHLIN, Logan M. (UNT) Ethnography and Engineering: How Qualitative Methods Can Help Build the Car of the Future FABRI, Antonella (CAleidoscopio Ethnographic Rsch) The Ripple Effect of Voices in Qualitative Research 
 
DISCUSSANT: BRIODY, Elizabeth K. (Cultural Keys LLC)
 
NEWTON, Kevin (U Memphis) Anthropology as a Profession: Qualitative Data’s Role in a Quantitative World. The vision of the SfAA states “to promote public recognition of anthropology as a profession.” In a world where “data” is virtually synonymous with quantitative data, how should the work of anthropologists change to carry out this vision? A promising approach is to understand weaknesses in quantitative-only methods, and how qualitative data transforms the statistical outputs of regressions and analyses of variance. This session combines the experiences of professionals and students to highlight the benefits of combining quantitative and qualitative data in creative ways to solve problems, which may add substantiation to anthropology as a profession in today’s “data”-driven world.
 
Session took place in Pittsburgh, PA at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2015.

Anthropology as a Profession: Qualitative Data’s Role in a Quantitative World - Gebers

Anthropology as a Profession: Qualitative Data’s Role in a Quantitative World 
 
CHAIR: NEWTON, Kevin (U Memphis) 
 
NEWTON, Kevin (U Memphis) Quasi-Qualitative Methods Lead to Low-Hanging Fruit: A Case Study of a Consultancy Firm’s Approach to Anthropology SCHILL, Elizabeth (Partnership for Public Serv) Do Not Underestimate the Power of Qualitative Data: Lessons from Business and Government GEBERS, Jenessa (U Memphis) Amaadhi N’obulamu: How Diverse Approaches Benefit Water and Sanitation Research ROTH, Heather S., BRICKLE, Tyler, GONZALEZ, Stephen, and MCLAUGHLIN, Logan M. (UNT) Ethnography and Engineering: How Qualitative Methods Can Help Build the Car of the Future FABRI, Antonella (CAleidoscopio Ethnographic Rsch) The Ripple Effect of Voices in Qualitative Research 
 
DISCUSSANT: BRIODY, Elizabeth K. (Cultural Keys LLC)
 
NEWTON, Kevin (U Memphis) Anthropology as a Profession: Qualitative Data’s Role in a Quantitative World. The vision of the SfAA states “to promote public recognition of anthropology as a profession.” In a world where “data” is virtually synonymous with quantitative data, how should the work of anthropologists change to carry out this vision? A promising approach is to understand weaknesses in quantitative-only methods, and how qualitative data transforms the statistical outputs of regressions and analyses of variance. This session combines the experiences of professionals and students to highlight the benefits of combining quantitative and qualitative data in creative ways to solve problems, which may add substantiation to anthropology as a profession in today’s “data”-driven world.
 
Session took place in Pittsburgh, PA at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2015.

Anthropology as a Profession: Qualitative Data’s Role in a Quantitative World - Fabri

Anthropology as a Profession: Qualitative Data’s Role in a Quantitative World 
 
CHAIR: NEWTON, Kevin (U Memphis) 
 
NEWTON, Kevin (U Memphis) Quasi-Qualitative Methods Lead to Low-Hanging Fruit: A Case Study of a Consultancy Firm’s Approach to Anthropology SCHILL, Elizabeth (Partnership for Public Serv) Do Not Underestimate the Power of Qualitative Data: Lessons from Business and Government GEBERS, Jenessa (U Memphis) Amaadhi N’obulamu: How Diverse Approaches Benefit Water and Sanitation Research ROTH, Heather S., BRICKLE, Tyler, GONZALEZ, Stephen, and MCLAUGHLIN, Logan M. (UNT) Ethnography and Engineering: How Qualitative Methods Can Help Build the Car of the Future FABRI, Antonella (CAleidoscopio Ethnographic Rsch) The Ripple Effect of Voices in Qualitative Research 
 
DISCUSSANT: BRIODY, Elizabeth K. (Cultural Keys LLC)
 
NEWTON, Kevin (U Memphis) Anthropology as a Profession: Qualitative Data’s Role in a Quantitative World. The vision of the SfAA states “to promote public recognition of anthropology as a profession.” In a world where “data” is virtually synonymous with quantitative data, how should the work of anthropologists change to carry out this vision? A promising approach is to understand weaknesses in quantitative-only methods, and how qualitative data transforms the statistical outputs of regressions and analyses of variance. This session combines the experiences of professionals and students to highlight the benefits of combining quantitative and qualitative data in creative ways to solve problems, which may add substantiation to anthropology as a profession in today’s “data”-driven world.
 
Session took place in Pittsburgh, PA at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2015.

2014 SfAA Awards Ceremony

2014 SfAA Awards Ceremony
Sponsored by the Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida 
The Awards Ceremony is the high point of the annual meeting. President Alvarez will preside. The Program will recognize and feature the winners of the Margaret Mead Award and the Bronislaw Malinowski Award. A reception will follow and hors d’oervres will be served; beverages will be available for purchase.
Session took place in Albuquerque, NM at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2014.

Working in Place: Dimensions of Work and Career

Working in Place: Dimensions of Work and Career
CHAIR: STRUTHERS, Elaine (UTEP)
PANELISTS: WILLIAMS, Ann and ANDREWS, Smaranda (UWM) Re-creating Her Story: The Identity of Women Entrepreneurs in Organic Agriculture COSKUN, Ufuk (U Arizona) Social Networking as a Lifestyle to Prevent Under- and Unemployment among Middle Class Americans M STRUTHERS, Elaine (UTEP) Profession and Diffusion: Occupational Therapy in Bulgaria
Session took place in Albuquerque, NM at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2014.

Wisdom I Didn’t Have: Advice from Practicing and Applied Anthropologists for Students

Wisdom I Didn’t Have: Advice from Practicing and Applied Anthropologists for Students
CHAIR: COLÓN-CABRERA, David (UMD)
PANELISTS: MASON, Amanda and BUTLER, Mary Odell (UMD), and BENNER, Timothy (Samsung)
 
COLÓN-CABRERA, David (UMD) Wisdom I Didn’t Have: Advice from Practicing and Applied Anthropologists for Students. Students and recent graduates often wonder about intangible knowledge that they did not learn in their academic programs; knowledge that is often tied to “real-world” experience. Anthropology’s holistic perspective is in part due to its ethnographic roots; a perspective that provides the basis of a pedagogical exercise for this session. First, practicing and applied anthropologists share short stories about “what they should’ve known then” in a roundtable discussion, Then, these experienced anthropologists lead small group discussions with students and recent graduates to allow more participation. Finally, panelists contribute to a student led concluding discussion about anthropology degrees and applied/practicing anthropology.
 
Session took place in Albuquerque, NM at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2014.

We All Eat Rice...? Poi, Potatoes, and Mac and Cheese!: Deconstructing Ethnicity for Cultural Specificity

We All Eat Rice...? Poi, Potatoes, and Mac and Cheese!: Deconstructing Ethnicity for Cultural Specificity
CHAIR: TASHIMA, Nathaniel (LTG Assoc)
PANELISTS: CRAIN, Cathleen, TASHIMA, Nathaniel, ISHIHARA-BRITO, Reiko, and DAO, Lillie (LTG Assoc) Complexities of Specificity and Inclusiveness in Focusing on Health and Human Services for Asian American and Pacific Islanders ISHIHARA-BRITO, Reiko, CRAIN, Cathleen, TASHIMA, Nathaniel, and DAO, Lillie (LTG Assoc) The Childhood Obesity Epidemic in the US - Says Who?: Asian American and Pacific Islander Perceptions of and Attitudes toward Body Image and Relevant Factors DAO, Lillie, TASHIMA, Nathaniel, CRAIN, Cathleen, and ISHIHARA-BRITO, Reiko (LTG Assoc) Over Two Million of the United States’ “Model Minority” Living in Poverty: Health Implications and Dispelling Myths
DISCUSSANT: CRAIN, Cathleen (LTG Assoc) TASHIMA, Nathaniel (LTG Assoc) We All Eat Rice...? Poi, Potatoes, and Mac and Cheese!: Deconstructing Ethnicity for Cultural Specificity. 
Health disparities in the Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) populations are increasingly garnering attention, particularly a high prevalence of obesity-related chronic illnesses among some AAPI groups. In this panel, we present some of the environmental, ecological, cultural, social and historical dimensions of AAPI health and childhood obesity to contextualize the disparate situations. With the goal of improving culturally competent health and human services for AAPI peoples, we will highlight the complexities in assessing and understanding the causes and practices that lead to children and adolescents becoming overweight and obese.
 
Session took place in Albuquerque, NM at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2014.

Technology, Design, and New Media in Ethnographic Engagement

Technology, Design, and New Media in Ethnographic Engagement 
 
CHAIR: CHIN, Elizabeth (Art Ctr Coll of Design), 
PANELISTS: DURINGTON, Matthew and COLLINS, Sam (Towson U) Creating an Applied Networked Anthropology; 
MARZEC, Morgan, MCCRAE, Cayla, and ZENG, Tina L. (Art Ctr Coll of Design) Caminemos Juntos: Designers’ Ethnographic Journey with Homeless Youth 
KITNER, Kathi R. and DE WET, Thea (Intel Labs) Smart Phones, Dumb Anthropology: Re-thinking Ethnography and Mobility in a South African Urban Landscape 
BARBOSA, Erika (U Manchester) Concrete Ecology: Sensing Change along the Los Angeles River KALVEN, Betsy (ACCD) Street Corner Ecology 
 
DISCUSSANT: WALI, Alaka (Field Museum) and CHIN, Elizabeth (Art Ctr Coll of Design) 
 
ABSTRACT: Concrete Ecology: Sensing Change along the Los Angeles River. Media provides a new dimension to traditional ethnographic research by allowing different forms of knowledge to arise and circulate in aesthetic forms; these can extend beyond the limitations of text in depicting the corporeal experience of vision and hearing, practices of wayfinding, mobility and tactile interaction. This project deals with the social and material changes taking place along the riverfront of Los Angeles, California. As new patterns of social immersion arise, I look to the history of social connections forged with the River, questioning how the changing functions of place will effect traditional perceptions and reactions to the River environment. 
 
Session took place in Albuquerque, NM at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2014.

Strategies for Organizational Research

Strategies for Organizational Research 
 
CHAIR: JORDAN, Ann (UNT) 
DISCUSSANTS: WRIGHT, Rachel (Independent) Paid in Different Ways: New Solutions to Nonprofit Employee Compensation; 
BONNEKESSEN, Barbara (NMT) The Applied Anthropologist at Home: Campus Culture and the Anthropologist as Catalyst; 
O’STEEN, Brianna (USF) Applying Anthropological Methodology in the Nonprofit Sector in the Neoliberal Age: History, Theory, and a Case Study; 
M SCHUMAN, Andrea F. (Ctr for Sci & Soc Studies) Living Well: A Case Study in the Social and Solidarity Economy; 
JORDAN, Ann (UNT) Playing with Complexity: Applying the Theory to Organizations; 
ERVIN, Alexander (U Saskatchewan) “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind”: Concepts from Complexity Theory that Might Benefit Anthropology; 
M MASON, Amanda (NWF), RIEL, Rosemary (UMD), TSO, Judy (AHA Solutions), MOYER, Teresa (NPS), and SULLIVAN, Kristin (UMD) Approaching Professional, Personal and Political from an Anthropological Foundation and Network.
 
Session took place in Albuquerque, NM at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2014.

Rethinking Poverty in Re/Development Thinking: Anthropological Perspectives

Rethinking Poverty in Re/Development Thinking: Anthropological Perspectives, Part I 
 
CHAIR: ILAHIANE, Hsain (U Kentucky) 
DISCUSSANTS: PARK, Thomas K. (U Arizona) Capability Theory and Refugees in the Sahel and North Africa; 
LYON, Sarah (U Kentucky) Fair Trade and the Marketization of Poverty; 
UDVARDY, Monica (UKY) Stealing the Imaginary Means of Production: Poverty and the Trafficking in Ancestral Memorial Statues in Kenya; 
COMPION, Sara (U Kentucky) Poverty Volunteering in South Africa.
 
ABSTRACT: 
ILAHIANE, Hsain (U Kentucky) Rethinking Poverty in Re/Development Thinking: Anthropological Perspectives, Parts I-II. Poverty is a social construct specifying prescribed modes in which scholars and practitioners frame the concept of poverty, the ways of measuring it, and the modalities of alleviating it.  This panel will critique the economic and capabilistic approaches to poverty by providing anthropological perspectives that focus on providing a historical and social context for understanding poverty as a social and institutional relationship.  Ethnographically grounded perspectives from (re) development contexts in the north and in the globalizing south will critique the reductionist approaches of economism and capability to poverty and will provide an enhanced understanding of the categories of poverty and the poor.
 
Rethinking Poverty in Re/Development Thinking: Anthropological Perspectives, Part II 
CHAIR: ILAHIANE, Hsain (U Kentucky) 
ILAHIANE, Hsain (U Kentucky) Le Maroc est Très Noir: Al-noir and the Perpetuity of Poverty in Morocco 
MCDONALD, Juliana (U Kentucky) It’s Not about the Money: The Real Emic and the Sticky Wicket of Poverty in Davis Bottom, KY 
HÅKANSSON, N. Thomas (Swedish U Ag Sci, U Kentucky) Poverty, Development, and the Misunderstanding of Landesque Capital in Northeastern Tanzania, 
 
BARO, Mamadou (U Arizona) Understanding Resilience in the Context of Poverty and Development Schemes in Niger.
 
Both Sessions took place in Albuquerque, NM at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology in March 2014.