AAA 2013: Request for Roundtable Discussion Questions

The Alcohol, Drugs, & Tobacco Study Group of the Society for Medical Anthropology has organized a roundtable for the upcoming AAA meetings in Chicago.  The roundtable, “Looking Back, Moving Forward: Reflections on Public Engagement in the Anthropology of Alcohol, Drugs, and Tobacco,” will take place on Wednesday, November 20, 2013, at 8:00 pm – 9:45pm at the Chicago Hilton.

The roundtable will focus on the centrality of public engagement in the development of the anthropology of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco (ADT).  Anthropologists of ADT have consistently contributed to projects, collaborations, and conversations marked by this type of commitment. Public engagement, however, has taken many shapes and held various meanings for anthropologists of ADT.  Panelists will discuss their previous projects, current engagements, and future research agendas in order to reflect on the various roles and manifestations of public engagement in the past, present, and future of the anthropology of ADT.  While addressing the specific themes of ADT, this roundtable also speaks to scholars working in the broader field of medical anthropology.  In recent years, the field has seen a marked increase in socially relevant and politically engaged scholarship. Now more than ever, medical anthropologists are consciously addressing real life problems and issues through their writing, speaking, and social activism and advocacy.  Many, particularly junior scholars, search for ways to reach beyond the academy to engage the public and exact social, political, and intellectual change.  This roundtable serves as a forum from which to discuss the ways in which we can shape our relationship with the public and our place within the public in the future.

The panel is organized by Shana Harris (National Development and Research Institutes) and Tazin Karim (Michigan State University), and is chaired by Roland Moore (Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation). The roundtable participants are William Garriott (Drake University), Helena Hansen (New York University), Daniel Lende (University of South Florida), Mark Nichter (University of Arizona), and J. Bryan Page (University of Miami).

To help catalyze the discussion, we welcome any questions you have regarding alcohol, drugs, or tobacco research (past or future) that you would like this distinguished group of presenters to tackle.  Feel free to submit any questions prior to the conference to Roland Moore at roland@prev.org .

Thank you!

Shana Harris, Taz Karim, and Roland Moore