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Paper short abstract

This proposal situates a series of reflections on the tensions between taught anthropology—encompassing its epistemic, theoretical, methodological, and moral dimensions—and the anthropology actually practiced, particularly outside the academic sphere.

Paper long abstract

This proposal situates a series of reflections on the tensions between taught anthropology—encompassing its epistemic, theoretical, methodological, and moral dimensions—and the anthropology actually practiced, particularly outside the academic sphere. In these professional contexts, the diversity of anthropological practice and its varying modes of labor are often not clearly articulated within the formal curriculum. Instead, they appear as a "forgotten fraction" of what anthropologists actually do or are capable of achieving. This issue is especially significant within the Latin American context, which serves as the primary framework for this reflection.

These points lead to a compelling question central to this symposium: the exploration of the "core commonalities" shared by formal educational spaces and the professional experience of "working as an anthropologist." What anthropology is and means—as well as how it is shaped through both professional practice and academic placement—often involves worlds that are configured as one, yet characterized by contradictions, tensions, and points of distension.

My interest lies in reflexively addressing the dissonance between pedagogical instruction and professional experience. Rather than providing definitive answers, I aim to explore the potentialities and scopes of these tensions. This perspective is enriched by considering concrete cases and comparative analyses across different "anthropologies." Naturally, this exercise accounts for historical backgrounds, the national and regional development of the discipline, and the internal and external politics of anthropology.