28304 - Applied Anthropology (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have familiarized with the main theoretical tools of the discipline and the methods of application of anthropology to various contexts of contemporary society. They will be able to use them in an autonomous field research.

Course contents

Course start date: November 3, 2026

Class schedule:
Tuesday, 5:00 PM/7:00 PM – Aula Grande, San Giovanni in Monte
Wednesday, 9:00 AM/11:00 AM – Aula Grande, SGM
Thursday, 1:00 PM/3:00 PM – Aula Grande, SGM 

Applied Anthropology: Theories, Methods, and Fields of Practice

Applied anthropology has a long and often controversial history within the broader field of anthropology. Broadly speaking, it refers to the use of anthropological theories, methods, and skills to analyze and address practical problems in social, institutional, and professional settings.

Today, including in Italy, applied anthropology is no longer associated exclusively with government programs or specific research projects. Instead, it is practiced across a wide range of professional fields, including education and healthcare services, cultural heritage, international cooperation, the non-profit sector, and business organizations.

An increasing number of anthropology graduates pursue careers outside academia. However, students are often unaware of the opportunities available in the labor market and of the many ways anthropological knowledge and skills can be applied professionally. Many discover independently—and sometimes by chance—how to transfer anthropological perspectives, methods, and sensibilities into contexts where the discipline is little known or rarely recognized. For this reason, acquiring transferable skills during university studies is essential for developing interdisciplinary collaboration and for effectively applying anthropological approaches to research, project design, and social intervention.

This course explores the historical, institutional, and professional processes that have contributed to the development of applied anthropology through the analysis of case studies and projects carried out in both national and international contexts. Particular attention will be devoted to the main fields of application of the discipline and to the methodological, ethical, and professional challenges they entail.

Alongside key academic literature, and in collaboration with ANPIA (the Italian National Professional Association of Anthropology), the course will provide students with the opportunity to engage directly with researchers and professionals working beyond traditional academic settings. Beginning in the second week, guest speakers will present their professional experiences in fields such as environment, health, cultural heritage, international cooperation, social innovation, and business.

These sessions will also offer an opportunity to critically reflect on the training of contemporary anthropologists and on the skills required to work effectively in the diverse professional contexts in which anthropology is increasingly called upon to contribute.

The course will address the following topics:

Week 1 – What Is Applied Anthropology?
Applied, public, and professional anthropology: definitions, fields of practice, and the historical development of the discipline.

Week 2 – Theories and Perspectives in Applied Anthropology
Major theoretical approaches, the relationship between research and intervention, and contemporary debates.

Week 3 – Methodologies and Tools
Applied research methods, project design, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical tools for professional intervention.

Week 4 – Anthropologists in the Field
The relationship with the field, knowledge production, and ethical issues in anthropological practice.

Week 5 – Professions, Career Paths, and Contemporary Challenges
Professional skills, areas of application, and career opportunities for anthropologists within and beyond academia.

Case studies, applied research projects, and professional experiences will be presented and discussed throughout the course in connection with the topics covered each week.

 

 

 

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

Program for attending and non-attending students

Students, whether attending or not, are required to prepare for the exam based on three mandatory books and one article of their choice.

Mandatory readings:

1. Severi, I. (2019), Quick and Dirty. Antropologia pubblica, applicata e professionale, Ed.it, Firenze. Or, alternatively: Colajanni A., Giancristofaro L., Nerici G. (2024), L'antropologia collaborativa. CISU: Roma.
   
   
2. Benadusi M, R. (2020),L'onda anomala degli aiuti umanitari, Editpress, Firenze. Or, alternatively: Zanotelli F., Lenzi Grillini F. (2012) Subire la cooperazione?. Ed.it, Firenze.
   
   
3. Podjed, D. & Montero, C.G. (2026), Why the World Needs Anthropologists, Routledge, New York. Or, alternatively: Bakker L., Cohen M., Faaij W. (2021) Anthropologists Wanted. Why Organizations Need Anthropology, Amsterdam University Press. Or, alternatively: Koycheva L. and VandenBroek A.K., (Eds.) (2025) Anthropology and AI, Routledge, New York.   

One elective article among those published online by the journal Antropologia Pubblica or, alternatively Journal of Business Anthropology

 

Elective book:

Business Anthropology

Bonetti Roberta 2020 (seconda edizione), Apprendimento a KM ZERO. Cisu, Roma.

Bougleux Elena 2017, Antropologia nella corporation. CISU: Roma

D’Aloisio F, Ghezzi S. (a cura di) 2016 Antropologia della crisi. Prospettive etnografiche sulla trasformazione del lavoro e dell’impresa in Italia, Harmattan Italia, Torino.

Ngai Pun, Lu Huilin, Guo Yuhua e Shen Yuan 2015, Nella fabbrica globale. Vite al lavoro e resistenze operarie nei laboratori della Foxconn. Ombre Corte: Verona.

Mollona Massimiliano, Papa Cristina, Redini Veronica, Siniscalchi Valeria 2021, Antropologia delle imprese. Lavoro, reti, merci.

Papa Cristina, Antropologia dell’Impresa. Guerini: Milano.

Rimoldi Luca 2017, Lavorare alla Pirelli-Bicocca. Antropologia delle memorie operaie. Clueb: Bologna.

 

anthropology, profession, tools and methods

Alliegro E. V. 2020, OUT OF PLACE OUT OF CONTROL, CISU: Roma.

Bonetti R. (2024), "Forme di apprendimento cooperativo: la ricerca-azione", in R. Bonetti e C. Natali (eds) La pratica della ricerca antropologica. Strumenti e metodologie, Roma, Carocci.

Castaldo M., Segneri M.C., 2022, Antropologhe in cors(i)a, la professione dell'antropologo medico nella sanità pubblica italiana, Licosia Edizioni

Declich Francesca 2012, Il mestiere dell’antropologo: esperienze di consulenza tra istituzioni e cooperazione allo sviluppo, Carocci.

Lenzi Grillini F. 2019, L'antropologia in azione. Esperienze etnografiche in America Latina e Italia fra riflessioni metodologiche e prospettive applicative. CISU.

Porcellana Valentina 2019, Costruire bellezza, Meltemi, Milano.

Pozzi G. 2020, Fuori casa. Antropologia degli sfratti a Milano, Ledizioni, Milano.

Raffaetà Roberta 2020, Antropologia dei microbi. CISU: Roma.

Severi Ivan 2019, Quick and dirty. Antropologia pubblica, applicata e professionale. Ed.it, Firenze.

Severi Ivan e Tarabusi Federica (a cura di) 2019, I metodi puri impazziscono. Licosia: Ogliastro Cilento.

Anthropology and Development

Colajanni A. e Mancuso A. 2008, Un futuro incerto. Processi di sviluppo e popoli indigeni in America Latina, CISU: Roma.

Lenzi Grillini F. 2010, I confini delle terre indigene in Brasile. Roma: Cisu.

Malighetti R. 2020, Antropologia Applicata. Problemi e prospettive. Brescia: Scholé, Editrice Morcelliana.

Olivier de Sardan J-P. 2008, Antropologia e sviluppo. Raffaello Cortina Editore: Milano.

Zanotelli F, Lenzi Grillini F. 2012, Subire la cooperazione? Gli aspetti critici dello sviluppo nell'esperienza di antropologi e cooperanti, ED.IT: Firenze.

 

Anthropology and welfare

Porcellana V., 2022, Antropologia del welfare, Licosia edizioni.

Rimoldi L., Pozzi G., 2022, Pensare un'antropologia del welfare, etnografie dello stato sociale in Italia, Milano, Meltemi

 

Applied Anthropology and Heritage

Higgins V., Douglas D. 2021, Communities and Cultural Heritage: Global Issues and Local Values, Routledge: NY.

Graham H. and Vergunst J. (ed.) 2019, Heritage as Community Research: Legacies of Co-production, Policy Press: Bristol.

Mortensen L. and Hollowell J, 2009, Ethnographies and Archaeologies: Iterations of the Past, University Press of Florida.

Roued-Cunliffe M. and Copeland A. 2017, Participatory Heritage, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

Schmidt P.R. 2019. Partciipatory Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Rutledge: NY.

 

Further readings (not mandatory)

Appadurai Arjun 2015, Banking on Words:The Failure of Language in the Age of Derivative Finance. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Versione italiana: 2016, Scommettere sulle parole. Il cedimento del linguaggio nell’epoca della finanza derivata. Raffaello Cortina editore: Milano.

Baba Marietta L., 2000, “Theories of practice in anthropology: a critical appraisal”, NAPA Bulletin, 18, pp. 17-44.

Baba Marietta L. 2012, “Anthropology and Business: Influence and Interests”, Journal of Business Anthropology, V. 1, N. 1, pp. 1-52.

Blomberg Jeanette & Darrah Chuck 2015, An Anthropology of Services: Toward a Practice Approach to Designing Services. Morgan & Claypool Publishers.

Borofsky Robert (a cura di), L’antropologia Culturale oggi (Sixth section only: “L’antropologia applicata”, pp. 500-591); otherwise, two essays among them suggested and distributed by the instructor during classes).

Borofsky R. (Ed.) (2023) Revitalizing Anthropology. Let's focus the Field on Benefiting Others. Center for a Public Anthropology. For the exam, select three essays of your choice from the volume. To download the volume for free, select the following link:

https://books.publicanthropology.org/revitalizing-anthropology.pdf

Carrier J. and L Peter Luetchford L. P. 2012, Ethical Consumption: Social Value and Economic Practice. Bergham: New York.

Clarke Alison J., 2011, Design Anthropology, Wien/New York, Springer (5 essays chosen by the student within the volume that will be made available during the course)

de Waal Malefyt Timothy and Morais Robert J. (ed.) 2017, Ethics-in-the Anthropology of Business: Explorations in Theory, Practice and Pedagogy. Routledge: London.

Ladner Sam 2016, [http://amzn.com/1611323908] . Routledge: New York.

Madsbjerg Christian 2017, Sensemaking: The Power of the Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm. Hachette Book Group: New York.

Blomberg Jeanette & Darrah Chuck 2015, An Anthropology of Services: Toward a Practice Approach to Designing Services. Morgan & Claypool Publishers.

Malighetti Roberto, 2001, Antropologia Applicata, dal nativo che cambia al mondo ibrido.Unicopli, Milano.

Pink S. and Abram S., 2017, Media, Anthropology and Public Engagement,Berghahn, New York, Oxford.

Pink S. 2016 (seconda edizione), Doing Sensory Ethnography. SAGE.

Pink S. (Ed) 2007, Applications of Anthropology, Professional Anthropology in the Twenty-first Century. Berghahn, New York, Oxford.

 

Teaching methods

A wide range of methodologies of teaching will be used to meet a varied set of needs and requests of students. The course will be conducted in a seminar-like fashion, with readings, presentations of ethnographic cases and film watchings. An active participation of students is requested, together with their willingness to contribute to the discussion of texts to be studied for the final exam.

Students, either individually or in groups, will agree with the instructor a specific essay of applied anthropology (heritage, design, healthcare, education) to be presented and discussed in a seminar session, to be held in the later part of the semester, and possibly with the aid of digital supports.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

The student will have to hold an individual oral exam on the basis of the suggested bibliography, of the notes from the lectures and of the contributions made by their fellow classmates in class. The final evaluation is cumulative and will keep into account the students' involvement in any phase of the formative process. Active participation in class is integral part of the final evaluation.

In particular, the following items will be tested:

command of theoretical and methodological basic knowledge as taught in lectures and seminars;

command of elements of theoretical knowledge as provided by the bibliographical leads;

capacity to critically scrutinize, observe, describe and analyze the various topics debated in the course;

the student's ability to critically integrate any topics debated in class, their critical use and the command of the scientific language will award them notes of excellence.

The oral exam, with open-ended questions, is aimed at verifying the students’ ability to read critically the documentary sources dealt with over the course. Students are expected to be articulate and to be able to communicate their thoughts and contents with an appropriate language.

In order to pass the exam, the students must get a grade not below 18/30.  

In order to hit a score of 30/30 cum laude, students must demonstrate excellent knowledge of all course topics, and to be able to connect them in a logical and consistent way.

Important to note: No special prior knowledge is required; however, familiarity with demo-ethno-anthropological sciences in general and basic anthropological lexicon is desirable.

Teaching tools

For the schedule of the lab activities, please consult the instructor's website.

Attending students, from September 2026, are kindly invited to subscribe to the following mailing list in order to receive information about possible variations in lecture timetable and rooms and to recevice useful material for the course:

roberta.bonetti3.antropologia-applicata

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Roberta Bonetti