Convenor
Soumendra Mohan Patnaik
Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi
Abstract
Policies and governance play a significant role in organizing human existence. Human subjects and their actions are being guided by complicated networks of public policies. The system of policy making and governance has come forward with ‘’power’’ of its own defining and recreating human identities across the various indicators unseen and unheard before. Critics argue that policies meant for public governance generally rewards selected few and alienate others. Policies work as instruments of governance at local, national, and international level and these multiple sites need to be scrutinized closely. The anthropological lens placed against system of policy and governance makes visible both the hidden agenda in policy making and its unintended outcomes as instrument of governance.
Anthropologists have long engaged in researches that deal with public policy and governance. However the critical contribution of anthropologist in public policy and governance has failed to attain its due recognition because of limited acceptance by those who are at the top of policy politics. The agenda of studying up to studying bottom is becoming commonplace to resolve the dilemma of anthropological inquiries of policy and governance. The proposed panel intends to discuss debate and deliberate upon the challenges of placing anthropologist into the helm of policy and governance which is now widely shaping human life world. Anthropological contributions in the field are invited to critically reflect upon the nature of engagement discipline has with Public Policy and Governance today.
panel presented by IUAES Commission on Anthropology in Policy and Practice