Open research questions in Anthropology: Ethics, History, Culture
88 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 855 Anthropology: Ethics, History, Culture papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
The paper identifies a gap in the traditional anthropological approach to the study of non-Western societies. It argues that anthropology has been used to perpetuate Western dominance and ignore the histories and cultures of non-Western societies.
The paper identifies the challenge of understanding the complexity of social groups in rural Mexico. The study highlights the need to move beyond the notion of a single 'peasant concept'. The paper notes the difficulty of situating the pueblo's history within the broader context of the Mexican Revolution.
Further studies on the social life in rural Mexico may build on the paper's findings. Research on the complexity of social groups in the region may inform community development initiatives.
The paper identifies a gap in anthropological research, namely the unresolved tension between universal and historically specific categories of analysis.
The paper identifies a gap in the field of anthropology regarding the study of cognition. The field has failed to acknowledge the reemerging cognitive sciences.
The field lacks unity and cross-fertilization. The field is evolving in new and different directions. Researchers must consider both etic and emic perspectives.
Anthropologists may continue to pose basic epistemological, theoretical, and methodological questions. The field may continue to evolve in new and different directions.
There is a lack of adequate anthropology of education. The contributions of psychological anthropology have been neglected by educational anthropologists and educational researchers.
The question of whether primitive modes of thought differ from Western thought is explored. The study fills a gap in the understanding of cognitive anthropology in the Trobriands.
Future research should examine the application of a dialectical approach to other case studies. It should also explore the implications of the paper's findings for the development of policies and interventions aimed at promoting social change.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the relationship between anthropology and history. It argues that a dialectical approach is necessary to understand the complexities of social change.
The problem of previewing the course content within an hour on the first day of class. The need to challenge students and create excitement about the subject matter.
The paper identifies the challenge of preserving and protecting Indian communities. It highlights the need for collaboration between anthropologists and policymakers.
There is a need to understand the development of applied anthropology during the Indian New Deal era. The paper identifies a gap in our knowledge of the projects initiated by John Collier in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The paper identifies a gap in the historical understanding of the discipline. The traditional disciplinary myth-history surrounding the transition from amateur ethnographic endeavors to professional academic fieldworkers is noted as an area for further exploration.
Innovation in the Malinowskian mode: An essay review oflong-term field research in social anthropology · 1980 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the discussion of ethics in ethnography, particularly in the context of informed consent and researcher-subject relationships.
Further development of the ethnographic method. Application of the method to various historical contexts. Exploration of the possibilities of interdisciplinary research.
Future research should focus on the development of applied anthropology in the context of its history. It should explore the potential for cooperation between university-based anthropologists and those working outside academia.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of applied anthropology's relationship with the past. It highlights the need for cooperation between university-based anthropologists and those working outside academia.
The paper does not provide a detailed treatment of empirical research methods due to lack of space. The author acknowledges that meaningful discussion of methods must follow the selection of an object of study.
History, anthropology and the study of communities: Some problems in Macfarlane's proposal1 · 1978 · DOIFurther development of a coherent approach to the study of communities. More systematic and comparative studies of social relationships and ways of life.
History, anthropology and the study of communities: Some problems in Macfarlane's proposal1 · 1978 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the understanding of network thinking in anthropology - The paper highlights the need for electronic data processing in network analysis
The author's experience was limited to a specific context and time period. The author's initial assumptions about Somali society were challenged by their experience. The author's role as a government anthropologist may have influenced their relationships with the Somali people.
Further research could explore the role of anthropologists in contemporary global development. Research could investigate the complexities of conducting ethnographic research in colonial and post-colonial contexts. The paper's reflections may be relevant to future research on the history of anthropology.
The lack of representation of emerging professionals' interests in traditional anthropology departments. The need for new approaches and reforms in the field.
Most-cited papers in Anthropology: Ethics, History, Culture
- Patchwork ethnography · American Ethnologist · 2023 · 123 citations
- Truths, Lies, Mules and Men: Through the "Spyglass of Anthropology" and What Zora Saw There · The Western journal of black studies · 2012 · 36 citations
- Ethnography Upgraded · Qualitative Sociology · 2022 · 17 citations
- Uncommon Ground: Holism and the Future of Anthropology · Reviews in Anthropology · 2010 · 13 citations
- The Bioeconomy and the Birth of a “New Anthropology” · Cultural Anthropology · 2022 · 12 citations
- ‘A laboratory habit of mind’: Exhibit making and nineteenth century experimental anthropology at the United States National Museum · History and Anthropology · 2024 · 11 citations
- Short essay: Current issues in digital ethnography: is all ethnography digital? · Journal of Organizational Ethnography · 2024 · 10 citations
- The Slalom Method: How to zig-zag between digital methods and traditional methods in ethnography · Qualitative Research · 2022 · 9 citations
- Renewal of Ethnography in the Time of the COVID-19 Crisis · Sociologija i prostor · 2021 · 7 citations
- The field is ever further: In search of the elusive space of fieldwork · Ethnography · 2020 · 6 citations
Most recent work
- RobertCodeGit/Anth: Anthropology of Problem-Solving Strategies — v1.0.1 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Critical Research Spaces as Scholarship: an Ethnography Lab as an Apparatus for the Experimental, the Imaginary, and the Relational · American Anthropologist · 2026
- Pathways, Challenges, and Opportunities for Public Anthropology, Impact and Commercialisation · Anthropological Forum · 2026
- Why Work? Doing the Anthropology of Work · Anthropology of Work Review · 2026
- Metatheory: Transgressing Anthropology’s Two Taboos? · Anthropological Theory · 2026
- Symposium on ‘Do ethnographers make markets?’ · Journal of Cultural Economy · 2026
- El audiovisual etnográfico compartido y la antropología anarquista · Tabula rasa · 2026
- Fugitive Anthropology, Embodying Activist Research By ShanyaCordis, Maya J.Berry, ClaudiaChávez Argüelles, SarahIhmoud, R.Elizabeth Velásquez Estrada (Ed.), Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. 2026. pp. 394. $105.00 (hbk). ISBN: 9781477332733 · Feminist Anthropology · 2026
- Fear and power: Applied anthropology’s obligations for reimagining the world · Human Organization · 2025
- Anthropology in 2025: Addressing the Crisis · Practicing Anthropology · 2025
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