AAA's letter

Az American Anthropological Association (AAA) vezetőinek támogató levele Balog Zoltán miniszterhez. PDF

from the

American Anthropological Association

to

Balog Zoltán, Miniszter, Emberi Erőforrások Minisztériuma

July 13, 2015

Dear Minister Balog,

We are writing on behalf of the American Anthropological Association in support of the Hungarian Cultural Anthropological Association (Magyar Kulturális Antropológiai Társaság) as MAKAT expresses its deep concern about the Hungarian government’s plans to eliminate the Bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from Hungary’s institutions of higher education. The study of cultural anthropology has been committed to serving society with its research-based results since it was established after the 1989 transition in Hungary.

The training that anthropologists receive is of enormous value in a wide variety of settings and is essential in a world of global connections. While a large segment of anthropologists are involved in pushing the frontiers of knowledge about the human condition through research and training, a growing number are involved in improving healthcare and educational systems, working towards environmental sustainability, protecting cultural heritage, reducing global inequalities, and increasing awareness of the many forms of household and families that raise our children and take care of our elderly. An anthropologist runs the World Bank. An anthropologist is next in line to become the King of England. And an anthropologist raised the President of the United States. But anthropologists also work in storefront NGOs in Nairobi, advise on marine protected areas in Southeast Asia, and work to restore traditional cultural properties in Mongolia after decades of attempts by outsiders to eradicate all vestiges of a rich and long-standing heritage.

Training in cultural anthropology prepares students for a diverse range of careers where, in this inter-connected world of ours, intercultural understandings are necessary for success in every sector, from tourism and trade to finance, health care, technology, manufacturing, and even agriculture. These students are better prepared to understand the world as it exists, to gain perspective on global issues and, perhaps most importantly, to develop values of respect and concern for other cultures and peoples. We hear frequently that young people today can expect to change their careers—not just their jobs, but their careers—several times during the course of their working lives. Global competitiveness dictates that preparation for a lifetime of learning is a much more meaningful objective for higher education than placing such a heavy emphasis on training for the first job after graduation.

Important social challenges and planning for a just and sustainable future can only partially be met by big data analytics and technological solutions. The world also needs people trained in fields like cultural anthropology, which breathes life into the numbers, and illuminates the arc of change.

We support MAKAT in urging you to withdraw the government decree of eliminating the undergraduate cultural anthropology program. Further, as MAKAT requests, we encourage the continuation of substantive discussions on the future of undergraduate cultural anthropology program and discipline in Hungary.

Sincerely,

(Dr.) Monica Heller (Dr.) Edward Liebow

President Executive Director