Colloquium 2022
Imagining New Anthropological Futures
REPORT
Our Interface Colloquium: Engaging Conversations-Imagining New Anthropological Futures took place in the Cross Cultural Centre Ascona from the 17-18 September 2022. During the very interactive event we progressively moved from sharing our current important engagements through the inspirational workshop input of Mariya Ivancheva (Anthropology as Education) and Caroline Gatt (Anthropology as Life Practice), to the final stage of imagining future interventions and engagement.
Three groups formed through identifying common areas of interest and intention: transformation, pedagogy and foundations.
We would like to share the outcome of discussions in those groups and invite current Interface members and future members to join us to further develop our plans.
Transformation Group
The "Transformation Group" revisited historical and contemporary social issues in academia and focused on actionable institutional transformations in the academic environment of anthropology. Discussions led to the identification of several like-minded partners across Europe and a concrete recommendation to build a common set of principles and priorities. Specifically, the group saw room for the Interface Commission to work with EASA and other initiatives to craft a scalable and sustainable charter linking the discipline with wider societal transformation
(From Left) Doris Bacalzo, Daniela Dietz, Mariya Ivancheva, Peter Larsen, Sarah Keller
Susie Mossman Riva, Caroline Gatt, Clara Koller Lang
Pedagogy Group
The pedagogy group imagined innovative higher education settings that could be aligned with transformative pedagogies. The importance of student participation in the envisioning process was underscored. By cultivating a supportive learning culture, the Interface Commission can create a dialogical space that fosters transformational learning processes.
Laure Sandoz, Michael Poltorak
Foundations Group
Our conversation was about how to involve powerful actors in our projects to access more resources and traction. Recognising the importance of foundations in Switzerland to driving projects on important contemporary issues such as climate change, Laure and Mike role played a conversation between a foundation Laure had prior history with. Through the creative process of co-creating a situation in which we were convincing the director of a foundation to support a cause important to us, we started imagining future communications with influential institutions to drive new agendas of transformative system change.
We are very grateful to the financial support of the Swiss Anthropology Association, Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Cross Cultural Centre Ascona