Certainties and Uncertainties in the Space of Applied Anthropology

Abstract

Since its origins, Anthropology - beyond its commendable scientific purposes - was involved in national public policies in relation to the domination of territories, natural resources, labor and cultures. His role was never uncritical of these targets; on the contrary, it resulted in basic practices and ideas to criticize colonialism in traditions outside the Western Civilization, where Anthropology was conceived. The development of Social anthropology in Argentina is far from this trayectory. Nevertheless, from late 1960 onwards, it begun to be engaged in public policies and development processes in rural communities - with discontinuities shaped by different dictatorships. In this article, I will review the brief history of the applied anthropology in Argentina and I will discuss the theoretical and methodological issues of a project developed in an Indian rural community in northwestern Argentina, whose echoes remains until today. Based on this case study, the aim of this article is to discuss the following theoretical aspects: 1) the relationship of power and culture inside process of development, especially since the term “internal colonialism” was coined; 2) the role of the anthropologist in the construction of ‘the collective subject of a project’, or the ways of managing the participation of the ‘intended beneficiaries’ in the development, participation and control of particular development projects, as well as public policies; and 3) the imperative need of putting at the front row of public policies’ contextual analysis, inception and evaluation the interdisciplinary work and team building. It is in this context where the political culture of the local society and institutions plays a fundamental role.