人类学的公共责任与社会价值:以美国与挪威为例

Public Responsibility and Social Relevance of Anthropology:Cases in Norway and the United States

本文以美国和挪威的公共人类学实践为例,系统概述了公共人类学的发展动因、学科定位、形态内容、价值成效和挑战前景。公共人类学旨在重振人类学与公共领域的连接,紧密围绕当今世界引起公众广泛关注的重大社会问题提出学理解释与应对方案,通过广泛多元的知识传输和行动介入渠道向公众传播人类学见解并改善民生境况,以此履行人类学的公共责任与社会价值。近年来公共人类学发展迅速,已成为融教学、研究、社会服务、知识普及应用于一体的人类学知识生产、传输、运用体系,造就了公共领域与人类学的紧密互动和双向受益。但公共人类学家在伦理、职业与政治安全、学术报偿机制、媒体传播、介入效果评估、公共参与的社会资本等多方面面临一些障碍挑战,解决这些问题将更利于推动极富前景的公共人类学的活跃发展。

Taking relevant practices in Norway and the United States as examples,this article systematically reviews the development of public anthropology,including its origin and disciplinary positioning,forms and content,significance and effects,challenges and prospects.Public anthropology aims at revitalizing the connection between anthropology and public sphere.The practitioners endeavor to explain and solve important issues that concern the public in contemporary society,disseminate anthropological insights to the public and improve their living conditions through a wide variety of channels of knowledge transmission and intervention action,so as to fulfill the public responsibility and social relevance of anthropology.After recent developments,public anthropology has become a system of producing,transmitting,and utilizing anthropological knowledge that integrates teaching,research,social services,knowledge popularization and application.Public anthropology has led to close and reciprocal interaction between public sphere and anthropology.Despite the conspicuous effects,public anthropologists face some obstacles and challenges in ethics,professional and political security,academic reward system,media communication,evaluation of intervention effects,and social capital of public engagement.Solving these problems will be conducive to promoting the active development of this highly promising approach.