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How can evolutionary and biological anthropologists engage broader audiences?
Author(s) -
Jones James Holland,
Pisor Anne C.,
Douglass Kristina G.,
Bird Rebecca Bliege,
Ready Elspeth,
Hazel Ashley,
Hackman Joseph,
Kramer Karen L.,
Kohler Timothy A.,
Pontzer Herman,
Towner Mary C.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.23592
Subject(s) - mentorship , outreach , diversity (politics) , action (physics) , public relations , sociology , political science , physics , quantum mechanics , anthropology , law
Objectives With our diverse training, theoretical and empirical toolkits, and rich data, evolutionary and biological anthropologists (EBAs) have much to contribute to research and policy decisions about climate change and other pressing social issues. However, we remain largely absent from these critical, ongoing efforts. Here, we draw on the literature and our own experiences to make recommendations for how EBAs can engage broader audiences, including the communities with whom we collaborate, a more diverse population of students, researchers in other disciplines and the development sector, policymakers, and the general public. These recommendations include: (1) playing to our strength in longitudinal, place‐based research, (2) collaborating more broadly, (3) engaging in greater public communication of science, (4) aligning our work with open‐science practices to the extent possible, and (5) increasing diversity of our field and teams through intentional action, outreach, training, and mentorship. Conclusions We EBAs need to put ourselves out there: research and engagement are complementary, not opposed to each other. With the resources and workable examples we provide here, we hope to spur more EBAs to action.