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Cultural
Anthropology
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Victoria S. Lockwood FY 2000 Cultural Anthropology Program Director This academic year (1999-2000), Stuart Plattner, Program Officer for Cultural Anthropology at the National Science Foundation, is on sabbatical and I’m filling in for him during his absence. It’s been an exciting year and many outstanding research proposals have been funded. The annual budget for Cultural Anthropology remains at approximately $2.5 million. An overview of funded proposals shows that there is a healthy mix of applied and basic science research, qualitative and quantitative methodologies, senior and junior researchers, and hypothesis testing and more "interpretive" approaches. I’ve found that a number of commonly held assumptions about the "kinds" of research NSF funds (e.g., that there is a bias against U.S. research; projects must be quantitative, and so on) are simply not true! Proposals are evaluated not in terms of particular approaches, methodologies or "hot topics," but in terms of their ability to make a contribution to our understanding of human behavior and cultural diversity. The strongest proposals are well designed around a clearly stated research question, and operationalized with a rigorous methodology that will generate both valid and generalizable conclusions. The next target date for both senior and dissertation proposals is July 1 (see http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/anthro) for information, guidelines, and application forms). A number of recently funded research projects exemplify the range of topics and approaches supported by NSF: Thomas Biolsi (Portland State University) (BCS 9903092): "Welfare Reform on Rosebud Reservation" (North Dakota) – examines the effects of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 on single mothers living on the reservation. Using participant observation and extensive life history interviews, Biolosi will examine the costs of this welfare reform on childcare, transportation, household resources, and subjective orientations to work and welfare. The project will contribute to our understanding of the dynamics or poverty and welfare among Native American populations. Sally Merry (Wellesley College) (BCS 990441): "Deterritorialized Ethnography: Gender Violence and the Anthropology of Globalization" – Merry investigates competing discourses about gender violence, including discrimination, inequality, and patriarchy as these have been debated among domestic and international activists, governmental organizations, and UN agencies and conferences. The study explores new ways of doing ethnography in a globalizing postcolonial world. She examines local sites (Hawaii, Fiji) embedded in global discourse, as well as the deterritorialized space of UN deliberations, transnational NGOs, and other global networks. This project will not only contribute to our understanding of global reactions against gender violence, but also to a new "global ethnography." Michael Paolisso and Erve Chambers (University of Maryland) (BCS 9904928): "Cultural Consensus and Cultural Models of Environment on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore" – These researchers are studying the cultural models of environmental hazards in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, stimulated by the toxic boom of Pfiesteria piscicida. Using consensus analysis, they will analyze the cultural models held by the various stakeholders (farmers, watermen, environmentalists, policymakers) in the Bay in an attempt to document intra- and intercultural variation in beliefs and values regarding environmental pollution. Project findings will be used to promote dialogue between these groups. Eugenia Georges (Rice University) (BCS 9820716): "Comparative Study of Ultrasound Diagnosis of Fetal Anomaly in Greece and Canada" –this research examines variations in cultural behavior in the use of this new medical tool. They focus on how culturally specific understandings of normality, risk, and personal responsibility are expressed through the diagnosis of fetal anomaly by ultrasound imaging, and seek to explain cultural variability between Greek and Canadian practices. Various hypotheses about the relationship between medical authority and morality, about culturally specific meanings of the "normal body," and about variability in the definitions of risk will be tested to explain observed cultural differences. New Multidisciplinary Initiatives: NSF has just announced several new initiatives that will be of great interest to anthropologists. Most annual budget increases at NSF, and this includes significant budget increases since 1998, are going into these initiatives The climate at NSF is one in which many researchers and government officials believe that the most dynamic and important research takes place at the margins of disciplines, in areas where ideas from different but overlapping fields of interest can cross-fertilize. These initiatives fund multi-year, large scale, cross-disciplinary research projects and represent a new thrust in federal funding for research. Biocomplexity and the Environment (FY 2000: $50 million) –integrated research to understand and model complexity among biological, physical and social systems. Contact person: Cheryl Eavey. Includes a new initiative on Human Origins (contact: Mark Weiss). Information Technology Research (FY 2000: $90 million) – hardware and software, but also the human/information technology interface and the human impacts of new technologies. Contact person: Paul Chapin Applications and Funding Rates: Fiscal Year 2000 (includes Fall, 1999 and Spring 2000 panels): Applications Funded Success Rate Senior Proposals 77 19 25% Dissertation Proposals 159 31 20% Ethnographic Research Training 4 1 25% Information on all Cultural Anthropology Programs, including Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER), Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER), and Scholars Awards for Methodological Training can be found at www.nsf.gov/sbe/bcs/anthro. Grant abstracts are available through Fastlane, https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.htm. Please don’t hesitate to contact the program officer with questions at splattne@nsf.gov or (703 292-7315).
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Fiscal Year 2000 Research Awards from the National Science Foundation Senior Awards
Fiscal Year 2000 Research Awards from the National Science Foundation Dissertation Awards
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