Anthropology in Action

Recent theoretical advances in anthropology and group psychology suggest that sharing self-defining experiences creates identity fusion, a powerful form of social glue motivating prosocial action. Here, we present results of in-depth interviews with a sample of 31 former inmates of prisons in an Australian state and explore the theoretical implications of this work for interventions designed to reduce recidivism amongst ex-offenders. Our approach focusses on the implications of fusion theory both for desistance amongst released prisoners and for reinclusion into the community. We consider various ways in which existing interventions could be enhanced by applying this new theoretical knowledge and harnessing the bonding power of shared experience. We also point to features of current practice throughout the criminal justice system that encourage the adoption of inauthentic identities and thereby obstruct the potential for fusion to energise and embolden efforts at reform.

The low caste, Dalit and Tribal social movements in India have reconfigured the fabric of Indian society in significant ways over the past decade. Likewise, the movement of these same groups into anthropology, a discipline previously dominated in India by upper-caste intellectuals, has created a dynamic force for change in the academy. At a time when India is vying with the global economic powers for supremacy, the people severely affected are low caste, Dalits and Tribal peoples, who see their lands being lost and their lifestyles in rapid transformation. Some from these same groups are also witnessing some of their daughters and sons pursuing higher studies and entering into the social sciences. The entry of these young scholars not only challenges the caste-based status quo in the academy, but it also forces these scholars to question their own position in relation to these social movements and in relation to Indian society more broadly.

Abortion law reforms enacted in Spain in 2010 and extended to Catalunya expanded access to abortion. Simultaneously, the autonomous region was affected by economic crisis and austerity, affecting access to care for migrant and marginalised populations. Mixed-method ethnographic data were collected in relation to low-income and immigrant women seeking abortion in two phases: (1) 2012–2013 and (2) early 2016. Data sources included surveys, interviews and participant observation. Data analysis combined descriptive statistics, modified Grounded Theory, thematic analysis and constant comparative methods. Despite public funding of care in a system ostensibly available to all, marginalised people seeking abortion reported reduced access and more barriers to access. Participant experiences with legal, publicly funded abortion revealed bureaucratic difficulties and delays as well as inconsistent and inadequate information. Data on marginalised people's experiences demonstrate that even where abortion is legal and ostensibly available, politico-economic contexts and trends affect their access to abortion and public health care.

Situated practice research offers rich possibilities for recognising and developing practitioner knowledge in social care. In this article, I document the application of anthropological methods and thinking within a research programme in autism services. Drawing on Donald Schön's model of the reflective practitioner, I argue that participant observation, aimed at the holistic documentation of autism services, provides a means to systematic reflection, comparison and learning in order to inform practice. This approach stands to broaden the field of autism research from unidirectional models of knowledge ‘translation’ to include research and insights generated from services. I also advocate the relational nature of anthropology as a means to meaningfully engage autistic people with intellectual disabilities in research through collaboration with practitioner researchers.

The coronavirus pandemic has made ethnographic fieldwork, as traditionally conceived in anthropology, temporarily impossible to conduct. Facing long-term limitations to mobility and physical contact, which will challenge our research practices for the foreseeable future, social anthropology has to adjust to these new circumstances. This article discusses and reflects on what digital ethnography can offer to researchers across the world, providing critical insight into the method and offering advice to beginners in the field. Last, but not least, the article introduces the phrase ‘anthropology from home’ to talk about research in the pandemic times – that is, geographically restricted but digitally enabled.