Hybrid bilingual conference organized by Teaching Anthropology Network, EASA
Registration for the public is open until October 4, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the release of the provisional program for the TAN EASA hybrid bilingual conference “Anthropologists and New Audiences: Pathways to Teaching and Learning,” to be held in Mytilene, Greece, from October 16 to 18, 2025. The event is co-organized by the University of the Aegean and the Department of Social Anthropology and History, the Association of Social Anthropologists Greece, and the WCAA Task Force on Anthropological Education and New Audiences, with the support of local partners and sponsors, and in scientific collaboration with the IUAES Commission on Anthropology and Education.
The response to our call for contributions has exceeded expectations: we received nearly 100 abstracts, and approximately 150 participants from around the world have already confirmed their attendance, both online and in person. We consider this a significant achievement for a specialized theme such as anthropological approaches to teaching and learning, with a particular focus on engaging new audiences in education.
The conference is designed as a broad forum for discussion, culminating in a final round table that will bring together contributions from 19 panels, 10 round tables, and 10 workshops. A bottom-up methodology has been adopted to give voice to TAN EASA members eager to collaborate with national, regional, and international networks.
Through this announcement, we would like to extend the invitation more widely to potential attendees, whether in person or online. Those interested may register by completing the following form (please click here) no later than October 4, 2025. Please note that participants who have already received a letter of acceptance for their abstracts and confirmed their participation are automatically registered and do not need to register again.
Both confirmed participants and those who register as attendees by October 3 will subsequently receive a form to select workshops, as well as technical instructions from the University of the Aegean to facilitate online access.
Useful info
- Provisional program of the EASA TAN Conference, Mytilene, October 16–18, 2025 (subject to updates and additions before the start of the conference).
- Practical information for your stay in Mytilene.
We sincerely thank you for your cooperation and attention. We look forward to your active and constructive participation, which will further strengthen anthropological education in today’s global context. This effort is made possible through your contributions, starting from places often considered peripheral, such as Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, which will serve as the welcoming center of our discussions for three days.
Giovanna Guslini, Marzia Balzani, Mimina Pateraki, Mary Hallin
TAN EASA CO-CONVENORS
Email: taneasa2025@gmail.com
TAN Co-Convenors
Giovanna Guslini, Marzia Balzani, Mimina Pateraki, Mary Hallin
Co-organisers
- EASA Teaching Anthropology Network
- Department of Social Anthropology and History of University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece
- Association of Social Anthropologists Greece (ASA)
- WCAA Task Force Anthropological Education and New Audiences
View the original call for abstracts
At a time when the humanities and social sciences are increasingly under critical scrutiny and financial pressure in higher education, we invite teachers, students, and academics to consider how the perspectives, methods, and ways of teaching and learning of anthropology can be encouraged and expanded in both traditional and non-traditional contexts (e.g. universities, schools, the public sector, the general population). We seek to showcase the intellectual and practical potentials of anthropology as a way of looking at and engaging with the world in other professional fields and for communities of the wider public, and also to highlight the challenges the discipline is facing at the present moment.
We invite proposals that address a wide range of issues: How can we anthropologists best communicate, beyond our discipline, what we do and how we make sense of human cultures? How do anthropologists employ social media and how can these engage new audiences? How can we as anthropologists encourage relevant, reflexive and inclusive learning, not just in higher education but also from nursery to high school? How are contemporary debates on decolonisation changing what and how we teach? We want to hear from students themselves and what studying anthropology means for their understanding of their place in the world. We equally encourage contributions from anthropologists who work with professionals from other fields and disciplines, in interdisciplinary teams, in applied fields and in the public and private sectors.
Proposals
Contributions are welcome in a range of formats (papers, roundtables, posters, video, workshop). We invite proposals on the following:
- Anthropology and its Public Presence
How can we make our work more accessible to a wider public? How can we best demonstrate how anthropology sheds light on some of the most pressing issues of the day? How can we dispel the misunderstandings and misperceptions of our work? Approaches to this topic might include writing for popular media outlets, or using visual media, photography or theatre to present anthropological insights and knowledge to a broad public audience. - Anthropologists Working with other Disciplines and Professions
Anthropologists often work in inter- and trans-disciplinary teams and with colleagues from other disciplines or professions. In these contexts, how can anthropologists share their work and insights with others? When working, for example, in medical teams, with policy makers, social workers, development agencies, in government or public institutions, how can anthropologists contribute productively to projects? - New Media and Anthropological Education
How can anthropologists reach larger and more varied audiences through new media? What are the advantages and potential pitfalls of such approaches? How is the qualitative and fine-grained work of anthropologists mediated by new technologies? What ethical issues do we encounter when addressing local and potentially global audiences through new media? - Anthropology in the Pre-university Classroom
How can anthropology encourage students from nursery through high school to situate and understand themselves and others in their social worlds? How can we help students best understand both difference and our common world? Is teaching in the pre-university classroom more game-like, haptic, kinetic, and visual? What difference does this make to student learning? How can we develop an anthropology of learning? - Making the case for Anthropology in Education today
With the closure of departments and funding cuts in the humanities and social sciences across the globe, how are anthropologists responding to demonstrate the value and relevance of the discipline? How, in these circumstances, can we encourage students to pursue studies in anthropology? - Decolonizing the Anthropology Curriculum in Schools and Universities
We seek to explore the ways anthropologists are engaging with the complex and unequal histories of the discipline in their classrooms. How do we equitably engage with diverse student bodies? How do we rethink our teaching in response to student interests and needs? How can we leverage informal and nonformal learning in the formal learning environment of the classroom? What are the limitations of decolonization? - Rethinking Anthropology Education for the 21st Century
What can an anthropology education do humanistically, scientifically, ethically, in and for today’s world, both inside and outside the university? What can we as anthropologists offer and how can we make our knowledge, skills, insights available and accessible? - Student Voices in Anthropology: “if we had our say…”
We invite anthropology students to reflect critically on their experience of studying anthropology and on the discipline. What are your thoughts on pedagogical methods and the content of the curriculum? Do you see a future for yourself in anthropology?
Submissions
Contributions need not be limited to only these suggestions; participants are encouraged to submit abstracts that may not be in direct response to these questions but are relevant to the larger issues we aim to explore. We invite prospective students and teachers of anthropology to participate and submit abstracts of 150 to 200 words, 3 keywords and with a maximum 20-word title. We welcome a range of formats such as:
- Paper
- Video / Film
- Roundtable Discussion
- Workshop
- Performance (music, theatre, other)
- Poster Presentation
Deadline for abstract submission extended to: July 10 2025
Participants will be notified by: July 31 2025
Please click here to upload your contribution.
Each form is for one abstract only. If you wish to upload more than one contribution you must fill out another form.
All submissions should be uploaded in English.
Conference Summary Details
More info about the location will be provided for in person participants who want to reach Mytilene.
Conference Type: Hybrid
Working languages: English and Greek.
Abstracts are in English but the programme will be in both languages and the speakers can choose to present in either English or Greek.
Conference Fees: No conference fees are requested both for in person and online participation.