Antropodesafíos

I think that one of the most difficult problems in Anthropology is money. If you want to work in projects of your own you have to find a sponsor willing to pay the costs of your investigations. An excavation, for example, has a lot of costs, because you need the equipment to excavate, but also transportation, food, some place to stay, etc. The government gives certain economical support to archaeologists, but it’s not enough.

I think that, in general, there should be more support from the government, since Anthropologic studies can do a lot to solve social issues, like integration problems. Anthropologists can get closer to people than other professionals, and because of that, they are able to understand people problems in a better way.

One way to solve the financial problems of Anthropology is to educate about our field, what we do, our importance, etc. If people know what we do, there are more chances to find someone willing to invest. I remember when I was a high school student; the information about this degree was zero. And most of the time, when I tell people what I’m studying, they look at me and say “do you study dinosaurs?”…so, as you see, it’s a problem.

Finally, I think that another problem is the contradiction between the goals you established as a social anthropologist, for example, and the reality of our degree. I don’t want to be a social anthropologist, but if I wanted, I would try to help minorities in some way. I see a contradiction in the fact that this degree is a really elitist one. Not everyone can study this type of degree, especially if you are planning to live of it. And I think that the vision of a person that is part of one of those minorities would be really useful, because he would be able to change his own reality.

So, the challenge is to open Anthropology to the world, in order to make it a science closer to people. This would help to get more financial help, and to improve the technological resources, among other things.