Drawing on her recent book Anthropological Conversations, Caroline Brettell discusses the history of anthropology’s connections to other disciplines. Through examples of how anthropologists have collaborated with, influenced, and been influenced by historians, geographers, and psychologists, she traces intellectual exchanges that have been productive in understanding culture and difference.
Steve Fuller poses an inevitable question for this series on interdisciplinarity. He answers this question by providing an account of the proprietary and path-dependent nature of social science disciplines. One aspect of a potential solution, related to an earlier Items post by Jacobs, is to be more purposeful in the design of the criteria for research funding competitions so that scholars are able to demonstrate reading and influence across fields.
On the occasion of the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States, Eric Hershberg and Stanley Katz reflect on twenty years of the Council’s work in building bridges to the Cuban scholarly community under complex and politically-charged circumstances. From supporting the preservation of Hemingway’s papers at his Cuban residence to helping to bring Cuban economists into a global conversation, SSRC’s Cuba Program helped create the conditions for the current expansion of scholarly ties.
