This award to the Society for Economic Anthropology will support a conference in which cutting-edge research on the theme of 'Inequality' will be presented, discussed, and disseminated. The award will support ten students to attend the conference, providing an opportunity for them to present their research, interact with senior scholars, and attend a roundtable session on field research methods in economic anthropology. The conference will contribute original, empirical research to further understanding of the origins and perpetuation of inequality across societies globally. Themes to be explored include the cultural manifestations of inequality in diverse societies, processes through which relatively egalitarian societies become more hierarchical over time, ways in which inequality is measured and studied, and the impact of current economic crises on inequality globally. The conference provides a forum for scholars, students, and others in attendance to engage with recent research on the issue of inequality which is a growing social concern in the United States and elsewhere. In particular, the active participation of students, both undergraduate and graduate, in the conference will contribute to their academic training and professional development. A special roundtable session on anthropological research methods and student research presentations contribute to this goal. Finally, products from the conference, including an edited volume or journal issue as well as online posting of conference abstracts and posters, will further disseminate research findings to the scholarly community as well as the general public.
Intellectual Merit: This award provided support for graduate students in economic anthropology to attend and present their original research at the annual conference of the Society for Economic Anthropology, the largest organization of economic anthropologists. The 2013 conference convened on the theme of "Inequality", a major world problem. Papers and posters explored the issue from a range of viewpoints using empirical anthropological techniques yielding many novel insights. Research presented at the conference analyzed the dynamics of inequality in many settings from post-socialist republics such as Krygyzstan and Macedonia to Madagascar, Senegal, and Tanzania. The lived experience of inequality was explored in diverse settings such as Michigan, Italy, Mexico, Ecuador and Guatemala. Archeological explorations of patterns of inequality in ancient societies were presented as well as models of economic behavior that yield unequal outcomes. A selection of the papers is being published in association's journal, Economic Anthropology, and will appear in 2015, Students supported by the award also received training in research methods and networking opportunities during the 2013 conference. The opportunities provided by the award strengthened the student's academic preparation and professional development. By interacting with senior scholars in their field, students were exposed to new knowledge and had networking opportunities. Broader Impacts: Two broader impacts of the award are to disseminate anthropological knowledge about the phenomenon of Inequality and to provide professional development opportunities to aspiring anthropologists. Research presented at the conference will be published in a journal issue that will be accessible to audiences within and beyond anthropology. Abstracts of all conference presentations are available on the organizational website and freely accessible to anyone. In these ways, the knowledge created through anthropological research can be made more broadly available. Training the next generation of anthropologists is important both to academia but also to society at large. Many anthropologists work outside the academy and use their training to inform a range of fields from technology development to public policy. Providing strong professional development opportunities is critical to enabling younger anthropologists prepare for careers both within and beyond the academy.
