Kristina Linda Baines

In a way that is not wholly unprecedented in history but feels very different in this moment, anthropology has been turned upside down. The year 2020 has brought an international pandemic, a spotlight of inequalities across every dimension of the human experience, and revolutionary changes in education, communication and socio-political engagement. Anthropology, too, has been changed. Travel to ‘the field’ has been halted. Community members’ lives have been upended around the world. Conferences have been planned, changed and cancelled. With the challenges come opportunities for anthropology and anthropologists to engage in new ways and across new spaces. There is so much in flux, the question emerges: what are the most critical questions for anthropologists right now? And in what spaces should we be answering them? This workshop seeks to ask — and go some distance to answering — these questions. Bringing together a wide network of anthropologists from across disciplines and around the world, we propose to facilitate a multi-roomed, interactive virtual event to workshop critical ideas and areas where anthropology and anthropologists can engage and offer a strong contribution to the public good. Drawing on the most pressing topic and elucidating content emerging from the workshop, a podcast pilot will be created, focusing on how anthropology and anthropological research can help illuminate the most critical issues and voices of our time.