The Association for Feminist Anthropology (AFA), a section of the

American Anthropological Association The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 members, the association, based in Arlington, Virginia, includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, ...

, is an American professional organization founded in 1988 to support the development of feminist analytic perspective in all areas of

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

History

Feminist anthropology Feminist anthropology is a four-field approach to anthropology (archeological, biological, cultural, linguistic) that seeks to transform research findings, anthropological hiring practices, and the scholarly production of knowledge, using insigh ...

is an integrative approach to anthropology, combining the fields of

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

. The discipline originated in the 1970s and developed from two earlier phases: the anthropology of women and the anthropology of gender. Feminist anthropology was formally recognized as a subdiscipline of anthropology in the late 1970s. The history of the Association for

Feminist Anthropology Feminist anthropology is a four-field approach to anthropology (archeological, biological, cultural, linguistic) that seeks to transform research findings, anthropological hiring practices, and the scholarly production of knowledge, using insigh ...

began in 1988, when a group of American anthropologists met in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

with the goal of establishing, "in the beginning, an 'anthropology of women' and later, a feminist and gendered anthropology to the discipline". The organization's founding leaders are: Naomi Quinn, Carole Hill, Sylvia Forman,

Rayna Rapp Rayna Rapp ( pen name Rayna R. Reiter) is a professor and associate chair of anthropology at New York University, specializing in gender and health; the politics of reproduction; science, technology, and genetics; and disability in the United Stat ...

and

Louise Lamphere Louise Lamphere (born 1940) is an American anthropologist who has been distinguished professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico since 2001. She was a faculty member at UNM from 1976–1979 and again from 1986–2009, when she became ...

. The group recognized the need for anthropologists who studied subjects of gender and gender equality, to have their own professional space within anthropology. The Association for Feminist Anthropology (AFA) was formally established by unanimous vote in the 1988 meeting, and formally approved as a section of the

, soon afterward. The beginning years of the AFA saw the establishment of several areas of interest that continue today. Currently, the major themes that are the focus of working commissions within the organization are: ''Gender and the Curriculum'', ''Women and Human Rights'', and the ''Commission on Women’s Reproductive Rights and Bodily Autonomy''.

Awards and scholarship

Michelle Rosaldo Book Prize

AFA's

Michelle Rosaldo Book Prize The Michelle Rosaldo Book Prize was established in 2015 by the Association for Femininist Anthropology (AFA) in honor of anthropologist Michelle Rosaldo (1944-1981). Rosaldo is recognized for her research on the Ilongot people of the Philippines ...

is named after anthropologist,

Michelle Rosaldo Michelle "Shelly" Zimbalist Rosaldo (1944 in New York City – 1981 in Philippines) was a social, linguistic, and psychological anthropologist famous for her studies of the Ilongot people in the Philippines and for her pioneering role in women's ...

, the co-editor of ''Woman, Culture and Society'', the 1974 publication that was instrumental in launching the field of feminist anthropology. The first book award is given to an anthropologist who makes an exceptional contribution to the field of feminist anthropology.

Sylvia Forman Prize

The Sylvia Forman Prize is named for the late Sylvia Helen Forman, a founding leader of the AFA, and a dedicated scholar and teacher, whose work was a major contribution to feminist anthropology. The annual award will be given to one graduate and one undergraduate student.

Publications

AFA annual journals

The official journal ''Voices'' was published annually until Spring, 2019. The current journal, ''Feminist Anthropology'' will began its first term, beginning in July, 2019.

Books

The AFA has published three edited volumes: ''From Labrador to Samoa: Theory and Practice of Eleanor Burke Leacock'', ''Gender and Race through Education and Political Activism: The Legacy of Sylvia Helen Forman'', and ''Feminism, Nationalism and Militarism''.

References

{{Reflist Anthropology-related professional associations Feminism in the United States