Advocacy Role in Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advocacy Role in Anthropology - Essay Example Further, other anthropologists have taken more active role in community affairs observing that they have a wider responsibility of bringing about change (Gardner and Lewis p.48). Advocacy anthropology is a sub-field within anthropology that has been growing steadily since its initiation in early 1960s (Gardner and Lewis p.48). Advocacy anthropology has long history and attachment to applied anthropology and adoption of the role of advocacy on the part of anthropologist brings with it many risks and responsibilities (Gardner and Lewis p.48). Advocacy anthropology as it has been practiced by its proponents and to large extends anthropologists is largely concerned with efforts of indigenous people to have and establish relative more control with regard to their lives. Some of the powers sought by indigenous people include the power to retain their cultural identities and to ensure they control and maintain access to their local natural resources. The role of anthropologists in society has become complex especially with continuing global inequalities and injustices (Kellett p.21). In this way anthropologists find themselves in complex, messy and even scenario and it is in this way anthropologists get involved usually at micro-level working with communities. As a result, some questions that becomes pertinent for anthropologists as they get engaged in community activities include: are anthropologists supposed to act and act to improve the situation of local people? More so, should anthropologists act as intermediary and voice on behalf of local people and should anthropologists play an active role as agents of change? (Kellett p.2). When anthropologist become agents of change in any particular community it dawn on them that issues even at micro-level are not homogenous but are largely heterogeneous in nature. In this way, advocacy is likely to conflict some interest groups or even suppress some cultures. When anthropologists be come aware of this, it dawn on them that