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SfAA was founded in 1941 to promote the investigation of the principles of human behavior and the application of these principles to contemporary issues and problems. The Society is unique among professional associations in membership and purpose – and in representing the interests of professionals in a wide range of settings including academia, business, law, public health, medicine, environment, and government. The unifying factor is a commitment to making an impact on the quality of life in the world.

Welcome to the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA)!

SfAA is pleased to share our new domain name (appliedanthro.org) and some exciting website updates. We want to make the website easier and more functional for you to use. 

As always, we want our members’ ideas and you can give feedback using the contact link. Whether it is strategic planning, meeting suggestions, or publications, we would love to hear from you.

Annual Meeting

SfAA's Annual Meeting provides an invaluable opportunity for scholars, practicing social scientists, and students from a variety of disciplines and organizations to discuss their work and brainstorm for the future. It is more than just a conference: it’s a rich place to trade ideas, methods, and practical solutions, as well as enter the lifeworld of other professionals. SfAA members come from a variety of disciplines -- anthropology, sociology, economics, business, planning, medicine, nursing, law, and other related social/behavioral sciences.

The 80th annual meeting will be held in Albuquerque, NM from March 17-21, 2020. The theme for this meeting will be Cultural Citizenship and Diversity in Complex Societies. Go to Annual Meeting for more information.

Online Registration

Awards & Prizes

The Society for Applied Anthropology proudly sponsors prestigious awards including the Malinowski Award, the Peter K. New Award, and the Sol Tax Award; as well as co-sponsoring the Margaret Mead Award with the American Anthropological Association. In addition, the Society offers 12 student travel awards to help offset the costs of attending the Annual Meeting.

Malinowski Award|Sol Tax Award|Margaret Mead Award|Peter K. New Award|Hackenberg Award|Pelto International Travel Award|Bodley Student Travel Award|Cernea Resettlement Student Travel Award|Human Rights Defender Student Travel Award|Del Jones Student Travel Award|Kushner Student Travel Award|Bea Medicine Student Travel Award|Spicer Student Travel Award|Student Endowed Travel Award|Valene Smith Poster Award|Student Poster Prize

Click here for more information

Online Journals

SfAA's mission through publishing articles that advance, synthesize, and interpret the application of anthropological method and theory is to analyze solutions of practical problems in the contemporary world. 

Access previous and current issues of Human Organization and Practicing Anthropology online.

To view journals online go to sfaajournals.net.
Member Access to Journals

Oral History Project

The goal of the SfAA Oral History Project is the documentation of applied/practicing anthropology through recorded oral history interviews that are properly archived, transcribed, and disseminated. Topics which are important to the project include the experiences of applied/practicing anthropologists in various domains of application in the past, the history of precedent-setting projects,  the history of the SfAA and other related organizations and the history of applied/practicing anthropology training programs. Special attention will be directed to interviewing persons that have received awards from the Society. The project also attempts to identify related resources such as oral history interviews relating to the history of application and practice in anthropology.

Resources

The SfAA strives to find and create opportunities for students, scholars, and practioners to further enjoy and develop their work. Here you will find information on current jobs relevant to applied anthropologists, other organizations of interest, and universities that offer degrees oriented towards the applied social sciences.

Resources

Podcast Project

The SfAA Podcast Project is a student-led initiative to provide audio records of sessions from the Annual Meetings to the public, free of charge. We strive to include a broad range of interests from diverse perspectives with the intent of extending conversations throughout the years. Our ultimate goal is to make these dialogues accessible to a global audience.

Since 2007, the Podcast Project has published over 150 podcasts, has touched 6 continents, and has experienced over 110,000 views. 

Podcast Project Page

Election Bios

The SfAA 2020 election is now open and is being conducted via SurveyMonkey. Eligible voters will receive an email regarding the electronic ballot.  Open positions include President, Board of Directors, Student Board Member, and Nominations and Elections Committee. You may vote for two Board of Directors candidates. For President, Student Board Member, and Nominations and Elections, please vote for one candidate each.

Biographical information for each candidate is on the SfAA website at https://www.appliedanthro.org/membership/nominations-elections. Please contact the SfAA Office if you prefer a hard copy ballot.

Voting will conclude on December 15, 2019.