Familiar/Strange eport al R nu An 5 1 0 2 Advancing Knowledge, Solving Human Problems EXECUTIVE BOARD AND COMMITTEES AAA 2015 Student Seat AAA Committees Committee on Minority Executive Board Karen G. Williams (2012–15) and Chairs Issues in Anthropology Graduate Center, City Raymond Codrington President University of New York Annual Meeting Monica Heller (2013–15) Executive Program Committee on Gender University of Toronto Undesignated #1 Committee Equity in Anthropology Cheryl Mwaria (2012–15) Anne Stahl Rebecca Galemba President-Elect/Vice President Hofstra University Audit Committee Committee on Practicing Alisse Waterston (2013–15) Undesignated #2 Cheryl Mwaria Applied and Public John Jay College, City Mark Aldenderfer (2013–16) Interest Anthropology University of New York Barbara Rylko-Bauer University of California, Awards Committee Merced Bernard Perley Secretary Committee on Margaret Buckner (2012–15) Labor Relations Undesignated #3 Association Operations Missouri State University Keri Brondo (2014–17) Committee Christine Walley Karen Nakamura University of Memphis Archaeology Seat Committee on Elizabeth Chilton (2014–17) Anthropological World Anthropologies Undesignated #4 University of Massachusetts, Communications Florence Babb & Bela Rayna Rapp (2012–15) Amherst Committee Feldman Bianco New York University Mark Aldenderfer Biological Seat Finance Committee Lorena Madrigal (2014–17) Section Assembly Committee on Ted Hamann Convenor University of South Florida Public Policy Miguel Diaz-Barriga Gregory Button Nominations Committee (2014–16) Cultural Seat Margie Buckner A. Lynn Bolles (2012–15) University of Texas, Rio Committee on Ethics Grande Valley University of Maryland Steve Black Resource Development Committee Section Assembly EB #1 Linguistic Seat Committee for Linda Whiteford Karen Nakamura (2012–15) Jillian Cavanaugh (2014–17) Human Rights Yale University Trish Redeker Hepner Brooklyn College, City University of New York Section Assembly EB #2 Ramona Perez (2013–16) Minority Seat San Diego State University Bernard Perley (2013–16) University of Wisconsin, AAA Treasurer-Ex Officio Milwaukee Edmund T. Hamann (2012–18) Practicing/Professional University of Nebraska, Seat Lincoln Elizabeth Briody (2013–16) Cultural Keys, LLC American Anthropological Association •­ AmericanAnthro.org •­ 2015 ANNUAL REPORT 2015 ANNUAL REPORT FAMILIAR/STRANGE CONTENTS Executive Board and Committees inside front cover Letter from the President 2 A Word from the Executive Director 4 Annual Meeting 6 New Website 8 Association Briefs 9 Staff Updates 10 In Memoriam 12 Association Spotlight 13 2015 AAA Photo Contest Award Winners 14 Leadership Fellows & Distinguished Members 16 2015 AAA Award Winners 17 Financial Report 20 2015 Anthropology in Public Policy Award 22 2015 AAA Section Award Winners 23 AAA Staff and Publications inside back cover 2015 Donor Recognition inside back cover American Anthropological Association •­ AmericanAnthro.org •­ 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Letter From the President Monica Heller, AAA President (2013-15) and as an association of anthropologists; to participate in consultations called cultural heritage, especially concerns by such bodies as UNESCO and the US around looting and illegal trafficking State Department on cultural heritage of objects, as well as more generally and the war in Syria; and to continue to This past year certainly was “strangely about the effects of war, violence and build our Public Education Initiative on familiar,” simply because our “development;” racialized police brutality mobilities, migration and displacement—a and extrajudicial violence; climate change; subject of immediate concern, and one overarching goals remained, and migration and displacement; indigenous which a special session held at the 2015 continue to remain, the same: to concerns; and the place of anthropology annual meeting will, we hope, allow us construct a better public presence in education and in research funding. Of to better address. Two of our members, course, there are links among all of these, Rena Lederman and Lise Dobrin, are and better external relations; and and we are getting better at developing coordinating our response to the US to (re)shape ourselves, more or less narratives that demonstrate that fact. Office of Human Research Protection’s proposed overhaul of the regulations constantly, to make the AAA as useful Also, I need to mention that @anthroprez governing IRBs. All these topics are has developed a great appreciation a space as possible for members. As complex, and sometimes we have to think for social media (possibly too great an 2015 closed, it offered reflections on twice before making what might be too- appreciation according to some). You may hasty alliances, but they challenge us to directions we still seem, happily, to be now follow Alisse in that capacity! return to core anthropological concepts taking, and a consideration of what I will briefly highlight some and practices, in order to, as our banner we might still want to keep an eye on. specific efforts. has it, “help solve human problems.” Public presence, engagement, Interventions in public debate Task Forces collaborations Largely due to the efforts of our Executive Two Task Forces completed their work Thanks to hard work by staff, and Director, we remain active in public this year. My predecessor, Leith Mullings, excellent, timely communications, debates on US legislative attempts to established the Task Force on Cultural we are now in a position to respond reduce spending on the social sciences Heritage in order to allow us to think substantively and in a timely fashion to and humanities. With the involvement through the issues and the principles that emerging issues, and to start setting of key AAA members, he has also been ought to guide us in taking both reactive the agenda for how anthropology able to help us contribute to efforts to and proactive stances on the manifold contributes effectively to areas of public help stem the spread of the Ebola virus, struggles around cultural heritage: concern, nationally, internationally and as well as to address the suffering it struggles related to ownership and transnationally. We have made great causes; to participate in conversations appropriation, to symbolic violence and strides in institutionalizing collaborations about redefinitions of World Bank physical violence, but also to resilience that allow us to strengthen our voice safeguards against inappropriate use and emancipation. We frequently receive through strategic alliances. The issues that of World Bank development funds, and requests to take a stand, very often with have occupied most of our time this year in particular regarding concerns that the very briefest of turn-around times, have been (in no order of priority, and the these redefinitions might make it easier and we feel strongly that we need to both list is not exhaustive): reflections on Israel/ for recipients to sidestep monitoring get a solid handle on the many facets of Palestine and the region’s relevance to effects of development on indigenous the issues, and agree to a set of principles us as anthropologists, as an association, populations and on the environment; that will help us think through each LETTER FROM THE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT 2 American Anthropological Association •­ AmericanAnthro.org •­ 2015 ANNUAL REPORT LETTER FROM THE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT case as it arises, as well as to chart our Committee structures We have successfully negotiated a joint own course of action. The Task Force on conference in 2019 in Vancouver with the Cultural Heritage has recently submitted In May, the EB passed a motion to Canadian Anthropology Society/Société its report to the Executive Board, and revise the structures through which canadienne d’anthropologie. We are also should be available soon on the new we accomplish the goals of our eight planning to hold a joint conference with improved wonderful AAA website. so-called “programmatic committees” the African Studies Association, the West (I can take no credit for the website, (ethics, gender equity, human rights, Africa Research Center, and the Council beyond whining a lot that we need one labour relations, minority issues, practicing for the Development of Social Science soonest, and perhaps someone picked and public interest anthropology, public Research in Africa in Dakar in June 2016. up my frequent hints that I really, really policy, world anthropologies). Over the I participated in a panel organized by like the colour blue.) The TF co-chair, past three years, the EB carefully studied the World Council of Anthropological Terry Majewski, also represented the both the barriers to achieving goals, and Associations (WCAA) at the annual AAA at the meeting of a working group their causes. Under the leadership of CASCA meeting in May. Ted Hamann, initiated by the Associação Brasileira de EB members Keri Brondo and Elizabeth our Treasurer, represented us on a Antropología, and including the Society Briody, along with Kim Baker and Alisse WCAA panel and meeting at the inter- for American Archaeology, to explore the Waterston, we have been working hard congress of the International Union of establishment of a UNESCO-sponsored with our eight programmatic committees Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences Interamerican Forum on Cultural Heritage. to find ways to solve our structural (IUAES) in Thailand in July. I would like to thank all the members of problems and help us better attain the the Task Force for their