Action Anthropology

The big old world of Anthropology can be dangerous and confusing to try to navigate through.  Most people I talk to don't even know what it is, so maybe because I have dedicated so much of my life to this discipline, maybe I should explain it... At least from my point of view. 

Anthropology in it's most basic of terms is the study of cultures.  It is the study of how groups of people act, talk, express and feel.  At this point, most people I talk to say something along the lines of, "I get it, you are a people watcher!"  Yes and no.  See we anthropologists do so much more than observe, we try to interpret the meanings behind cultural acts.  In reality this is a day in the life of an anthropologist... Participant observation, analyze, interview, analyze, observe, analyze, survey, analyze, research, analyze, re-interview, analyze, report.  Needless to say, there is a lot of analyzing and interpretating.

Now there are many branches of anthropology that I wont try to get into but I should let you know that I am an action anthropologist.  The name it itself is a contradiction but I kinda like that.  I believe as an anthropologist I have the skills and ability to see the world from many points of view, see how people come together, where they clash, and assist in developing a plan of action to better the situation.  I believe in advocacy, policy change, and simply taking an active role in making this world a better place. 

Anyway, this post is getting long and most likely boring to most of you.  I wanted to let you in on the project I have dedicated the past 7 months to...

Since the fall I have been working as a volunteer at a local goal oriented research center for homeless youth.  It has been amazing learning the stories of many of these individuals including where they are originally from, how they ended up on the streets, and how difficult it is to move out of homelessness.  One of the biggest things I have noticed though is the lack of awareness community members have about the situation.  Many look at homeless people in a very negative light, as if they deserve it or asked for it.  My activist side has come out and I want to help people understand the complexity of the situation.  I am currently working on a research project to learn migration patterns of homeless youth and some of the difficulties they face when they try to move out of their situations.  I'm letting you all know about this because I will probably be talking much more about it because I tend to get pretty passionate about my research.  I have a lot of work to do in a few short weeks with a due date of May 31, but I am excited that I should be finished just in time for RnR!