Ethics, anthropologists and anthropolitics in the wild, wild west

This article was published in Crikey 8 December 2011

By Bob Gosford

Over at AASNet (the Australian Anthropological Society web discussion group) a recent thread that dragged a hangnail across the raw ethical and professional nerves of many anthropologists caught attention. This thread raised issues of particular relevance for those anthropologists that provide consultancy services — particularly those working on mining and major development projects — rather than those that work for a single agency or company.