Royal Anthropological Institute

Plans for the major conference at the British Museum on Anthropology and Photography to be held in 2014 are now well under way. The rationale for choosing this theme for the second of our large meetings is as follows: all anthropologists take photos in the field. They have done so for more than a century. Yet, we have never held a sustained general discussion of the fascinating consequences which stem from the use of photographs as a research tool, whether as a methodology or as part of our output. Likewise, the changing role that photography has had globally in the last century as a powerful impetus of social change is most worthy of our attention; one upon which, with our diverse experience in the field, we are uniquely qualified to comment. The ‘Call for Panel Proposals’ will go out in the New Year. We would not wish in any way to restrict the possible areas within this broad topic that may be of interest, and if anyone would like to suggest any theme, they are welcome to write (suggestions please to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). The date for the event is not yet set, but it is likely to be in early June 2014.

Summer’s end inevitably turns our thoughts to the plans for the coming year. We would particularly like to flag up the Huxley Lecture which will take place on 14 December 2012, to be delivered by Professor Alan Macfarlane in the Clore Centre of the British Museum. This is likely to be a very attractive event, and for this reason booking will be essential in order to obtain a seat. Entry is free.

We were delighted to welcome some 450 delegates to our large conference Anthropology in the World, which was held at the Clore Centre in the British Museum, 8-10 June (for a review see this issue). The great variety of the subjects tackled, the effervescence of the delegates, and the harmony of the surroundings all contributed towards three days of great interest.

This is the time of year when we make a plea. Please, would all fellows and members see that they renew their subscriptions promptly. The RAI is a wonderful institution: one that is entirely independent, perhaps the only such foundation owned by anthropologists and run by anthropologists in the world. The down-side of this is that staff time will always be at a premium, and it is immensely time-consuming to chase up those who are late. It would be wonderful if dues were to be paid by direct debit, because this simplifies our task of setting budgets, as well as saving staff resources. Equally, gift-aid is terribly helpful, because we can claim back the tax. Amanda Vinson, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , will be delighted to help with these points. Taking on board the economic crisis, we have for several years tried to freeze subscriptions, or keep any rise to a minimum, and will try to retain this policy as long as possible.

The conference ‘Anthropology in the World’ which is to be held in conjunction with the Anthropology Centre at the British Museum is just about full in terms of the number of panels, and papers which we have been able to accept. There is still some space ‘front of house’ for those who might like to take a display table. These tables may be used by publishers for exhibits, by NGOs to illustrate their work, by employers of anthropologists who would like to talk about their experiences, or even by anthropologists who feel that this would be an appropriate way to display visual material. We would encourage all those who might like to take up such an opportunity to contact the office as soon as possible. There is too still some space for those who would like to attend without giving a paper, but places are selling remarkably quickly, and we would encourage all those who would like to attend to register as soon as possible. There is a distinct possibility that the event will sell-out before the day. Enquiries please, in the first instance, to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The New Year opens with the important changes in 50 Fitzroy Street finally in place. The first floor rooms are now available to all Fellows from 10.00am onwards during office hours for meetings, functions, discussions, or just to read. The large room to the front will take 40 seated comfortably, and we hope more at a pinch, whilst the rear room offers basic kitchen facilities. It will take a while to work out the best way to operate, but it is likely that we will settle along the following lines: if a Fellow wishes to organise something which is simply to do with their own work or activity, there will be no charge. If they would like to use the first floor for a conference or seminar which has a budget, then we would welcome a donation. However, if they are used officially as part of a university function, then a fee should be arranged with the office. Please note that they will operate according to ‘youth hostel’ rules. We will provide crockery, but those who use the rooms should provide any food or drink, and be sure to leave the rooms in a good state afterwards. Finally, we should say that we encourage the use of the space for hanging exhibitions, and the photo committee will gladly consider proposals for temporary displays of fieldwork images. As always, please e-mail queries please in the first instance to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

On Friday 4 November, we welcomed a delegation of scholars from across the channel to a French Anthropology Day, held at the Institut Francais in South Kensington, where we were provided with a splendid champagne reception. We hope that this will be the first of many ‘national anthropology’ days and already we are wondering which nation might be the most appropriate candidate for a second such celebration. Brazil, Japan and South Africa have all been mentioned as possibilities, but we would appreciate any further suggestions. It seemed appropriate to begin with France for a number of reasons. British anthropology would be scarcely recognisable without taking into account the varied and significant influence of our French colleagues over the past century or so. The delegation, led by Sophie Chevalier, gave a series of excellent papers and by the day’s conclusion we felt that we were a little closer to understanding why France has been such an endless inspiration to the anthropological world. In due course, we hope that the papers will be published by the RAI.

The Call for Panels for our major conference Anthropology in the World is open. The conference will be held at the British Museum from 8 to 11 June 2012, in partnership with the museum’s Anthropology Centre. Further details are available on the RAI website, or please feel free send any queries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The idea behind the conference is this: we all know that anthropology has had a great influence on the world outside academia, but it is very difficult to be sure to how this has occurred, in what field anthropology has been most influential, and how we might quantify this influence. For example, for a long time it was assumed that anthropologists could be most successful in the area of overseas development. Whilst this is undoubtedly true in part, arguably, we are now moving to a situation where advocacy and the legal fields (including forensic anthropology) are the discipline’s fastest-growing areas. In addition, it would appear that anthropology has had an enormous impact on ideas such as feminism and the fight against racism, but is it possible to be clear about the causal processes involved? Can we delineate more precisely the concept of anthropology as an ‘ideas-exporting’ discipline? Fascinating in itself for our understanding of our own history, the conference also has obvious practical applications, in that it is only by discussing these things together that we can be clear about the kinds of fields outside academia where those currently studying anthropology might find employment. We hope to bring together academic anthropologists, anthropologists who work outside academia, research students and potential employers at the British Museum. All proposals for panels on these and related topics would be most welcome! Closing date for panel proposals is 28 October.

Uncertainties in higher education temporarily set to one side, we this month celebrated the RAI Film Festival, which took place at University College London from 23 to 26 June. It opened with a Garden Party kindly sponsored by Wiley-Blackwell. Rain meant that the party in fact took place in the North Cloisters, but all went well. It was a great pleasure to welcome our Royal Patron, the Duke of Gloucester, Professor Kuechler of UCL, our publishers, and many senior fellows, friends and students. The party continued with a showing of Pink Saris by Kim Longinotto. Earlier that day, the RAI held a successful day-long conference at the British Library on the archiving of documentary film material. At the film festival itself, we were delighted to welcome very many film-makers, which contributed to an immensely satisfying three days that had a real buzz about them. We congratulate the winner of the RAI Film Prize Rosella Schillaci for her film Other Europe. Details of the programme, and other winners and commendations, may be found on our dedicated Film Festival website. Planning will shortly begin for the next festival, in 2013.

The uncertainty in university departments is likely to affect anthropology adversely. The RAI has written to the universities minister, David Willetts, to outline its concerns. The letter may be viewed on our website. As yet, there has been no reply. We are very concerned at the growing pressure anthropology departments are under within UK universities, and if there is anything we can do to help, please let us know.

The Huxley Lecture delivered by Professor Johannes Fabian at the British Museum on 4 February was a great success, and we can only
apologize to all those who could not gain admittance. A podcast of the lecture is available on the RAI website: www.therai.org.uk/rai-events/podcasts/.

Much discussion in recent weeks has been around the announced government cuts to higher education. The impact on universities is likely to be profound, but we are determined to maintain as high a profile for anthropology as we can. Clearly, the Institute’s great asset is that it is not dependent on government funding, and we can therefore develop our activities as a focal point for research and scholarly activity without being vulnerable to the whims of politicians. Our Fellowship and Members are vital to this, and we are pleased to say that numbers are holding up well. The more the merrier! Please send any enquiries about joining to Amanda Vinson, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Dr David Shankland took up his post as the new Director of the RAI on 1 October 2010. He looks forward to meeting as many Members and Fellows as possible in future, and invites comments and thoughts as to how the RAI may support the discipline in these difficult times. Contact the RAI, or email him on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it !

The RAI is delighted to welcome its new Director, Dr David Shankland, who took up the position on 1 October. Professor Roy Ellen will continue as President for a fourth year in 2010-11 to oversee the transition, supported by Council and by Professor Julian Thomas, who has been appointed as co-opted Vice-President for 2010-11.

New Director for the RAI. Following a wide-ranging search and selection process we are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr David Shankland, currently Reader in Social Anthropology at the University of Bristol, as the incoming Director of the RAI. He succeeds Hilary Callan, who has held the post since September 2000. David Shankland has worked with the RAI for many years in a voluntary capacity, and is well known to Fellows as the Institute's current Honorary Treasurer. He will take up the appointment formally on 1 October 2010.

The 2010 Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 23 September in the Stevenson Lecture Theatre, British Museum. It will be followed by the 2010 Henry Myers Lecture to be given by Professor Geoffrey Lloyd of Cambridge University. Professor Lloyd’s title is ‘Humanity between gods and beasts? Ontologies in question’. The full programme for the event will be advertised in the August issue of AT.