- Title
- My life as a chameleon: finding the anthropological self through interdisciplinary collaboration
- Creator
- Askland, Hedda Haugen
- Relation
- Collaborative Anthropologies Vol. 6, p. 244-267
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/cla.2013.0021
- Publisher
- University of Nebraska Press
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2013
- Description
- Although geographically removed from anthropological schools such as those of Manchester and Chicago, Australia represents a major center for anthropological education and expertise. The Australian National University (anu) alone holds one of the largest concentrations of anthropological expertise anywhere and has over one hundred PhD candidates engaged in its Anthropology Higher Degree Research Academic Network (anu 2012). Together with peers from other Australian universities, these candidates enter a competitive work environment after completing their degrees, in which few valuable academic positions as lecturer or research fellow are available. As a consequence, many of those graduating with a PhD in anthropology have to think creatively about how to progress in their careers and how to balance their academic ambitions with the pragmatisms of life. This was what happened to me; having studied at a regional Australian university in which anthropology has become an often undervalued and low priority subject, I found that my chances of an anthropological appointment in the region where I lived were slim. My options for work would have to be found elsewhere, in a different city, region, or nation, beyond the discipline of anthropology, or in non-academic sectors. At this stage of my life, moving was not a viable alternative, and I therefore had to consider how I could best employ—and further develop—my skills and experiences beyond the anthropological discipline. Raising my dilemma to my former head of school at the university where I gained my PhD, I was encouraged to I contact the head of the School of Architecture and Built Environment. Quite a few social science graduates had previously been employed in this school, leading to a sarcastic observation from some that the school was offering a “social science graduate program.” The advice I was given had unexpected consequences and opened doors I had not previously seen as entry points to my life as an anthropologist.
- Subject
- anthropology; Australia; education; interdisciplinary collaboration
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1043481
- Identifier
- uon:14199
- Identifier
- ISSN:1943-2550
- Language
- eng
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