Royal Anthropological Institute

The Royal Anthropological Institute’s Education programme, Discover Anthropology, has been set up to develop actions and strategies to inform teachers and young people about anthropology as a university subject, and to bring the subject more generally into pre-university education. Anthropology, the study of what it means to be human across different societies, cultures and histories, is not currently taught in schools and colleges in the UK and compared to other social sciences, anthropology undergraduate degrees attract fewer students from widening participation target groups. Yet the discipline of anthropology has a distinctive, and vital, contribution to make to understanding the world today. Anthropology offers a deep understanding of what we share in common as a species, how different societies work, how people live, their beliefs, customs, ideas, prejudices and aspirations. In an era when global understanding and recognition of diverse ways of seeing the world are of critical social, political and economic importance, anthropology has a central role to play in education.

This month as part of the ESRC’s Festival of Social Science, the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) is running a series of free outreach events investigating the connections between water, conservation and community. The events are open to anyone, regardless of previous background or knowledge of anthropology. From 16th-18th March a series of film screenings entitled ‘Water Cultures: discovering the meaning of water through film’ will be held at the RAI’s screening room in London. The screenings will be followed by our main event ‘The Meaning of Water’ held on the 20th March on the HMS boat on the River Thames.

Details of the events can be found below, as well as in the attached publicity material. The events are free but booking is required. For more information and to book your free place visit: http://www.discoveranthropology.org.uk or contact Nafisa Fera, The Royal Anthropological Institute’s Education Officer on her  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone: 020 7387 0455.

The RAI’s Education Outreach Programme invites you to submit your photographs to our international ‘Meaning of Water’ Photo Contest. The contest is looking for photos which explore human relationships with water in the context of the following themes: 1) livelihoods and sustainability 2) trade and transport 3) management and access and 4) religion and spirituality.

The contest is open to secondary school students, undergraduate and postgraduate anthropology students, and anyone interested in photography and anthropology, excluding professional photographers. For further information on prizes, submission and regulation guidelines, please visit: www.discoveranthropology.org.uk.