Anthropology Matters: Introduction

This Special Issue of the Journal of the Anthropological Society at Oxford argues that anthropology matters, even as taught in a perceived ivory tower, the University of Oxford, and that it does so especially in times of crisis. Rather than aiming to add yet another publication to the avalanche of social-scientific comments on the Trump election, this JASO Special Issue, ‘Anthropology matters, especially in times of crisis’, presents graduate students’ reflections on why they are enrolled in a graduate course to learn about anthropology, which in their case is a master’s course in medical anthropology. They were asked to address the questions why are you reading anthropology, why might anthropology matter, and why does it matter, especially in times of crisis?