Reaffirming the Role of Anthropology in Transformative Change: Responses, Resonance, and Seizing Opportunities

Peter Bille Larsen; Eda Elif Tibet; Mike Poltorak

doi:10.36950/sjsca.2025.31.11747

Debates

Vol. 31 No. 1 (2025): Reciprocal Vulnerability: Privilege, Violence, and Solidarity from Fieldwork to Academia

Reaffirming the Role of Anthropology in Transformative Change: Responses, Resonance, and Seizing Opportunities

Peter Bille Larsen^▸^▾
Eda Elif Tibet^▸^▾
Mike Poltorak^▸^▾

Submitted: December 2, 2024
Published: 2025-11-13

Abstract

This brief response to reviews of the Ascona Charter asks how it resonates with and connects diverse realities, concerns, and experiences of transformation. The Charter responds to a collective call from students and engaged scholars for adopting collective action that prioritizes transformation and positive change in the world, rather than remaining caught in neoliberal metrics and individualized trajectories. By operationalizing the Charter’s values, anthropology can reclaim its relevance and contribute meaningfully to addressing the triple planetary crisis. Through embracing multimodal approaches, fostering ethical partnerships, and advocating for systemic change, anthropologists can play a pivotal role in addressing the pressing challenges of our time.

References

Kirsch, Stuart. 2018. Engaged anthropology: Politics beyond the text. Oakland: University of California Press.
Larsen, Peter Bille, Bacalzo, Doris, Naef, Patrick, Tibet, Eda Elif, Baracchini, Leïla, and Susie Riva. 2022. Repositioning Engaged Anthropology. Tsantsa 27: 4–15. https://doi.org/10.36950/tsantsa.2022.27.7994.
Low, Setha M., and Sally Engle Merry. 2010. Engaged anthropology: diversity and dilemmas: an introduction to supplement 2. Current Anthropology 51 (S2): S203–26. https://doi.org/10.1086/653837.

Keywords

engaged anthropology
transformation
ethics
planetary crisis
reflexivity

Copyright Notice

How to Cite

Larsen, Peter Bille, Eda Elif Tibet, and Mike Poltorak. 2025. “Reaffirming the Role of Anthropology in Transformative Change: Responses, Resonance, and Seizing Opportunities”. Swiss Journal of Sociocultural Anthropology 31 (1): 209-13. https://doi.org/10.36950/sjsca.2025.31.11747.

[1] Kirsch, Stuart. 2018. Engaged anthropology: Politics beyond the text. Oakland: University of California Press.

[2] Larsen, Peter Bille, Bacalzo, Doris, Naef, Patrick, Tibet, Eda Elif, Baracchini, Leïla, and Susie Riva. 2022. Repositioning Engaged Anthropology. Tsantsa 27: 4–15. https://doi.org/10.36950/tsantsa.2022.27.7994.

[3] Low, Setha M., and Sally Engle Merry. 2010. Engaged anthropology: diversity and dilemmas: an introduction to supplement 2. Current Anthropology 51 (S2): S203–26. https://doi.org/10.1086/653837.