Anthropology in Schools

EASA and others reacts to the news that Anthro A-level is being scrapped in UK schools.

It was recently announced that the AQA Exam Board in the UK had decided to cancel anthropology as an optional subject in British schools, owing to low student numbers. However, anthropology had existed as an ‘A’ level subject only since 2010, and the decision led to strong reactions among anthropologists worldwide, as well as an electronic petition at change.org.

The Executive Director of the AAA, Ed Liebow, wrote a blog about the ‘A’ level anthropology affair in Huffington Post, and the IUAES (International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences) and the WCAA (World Council of Anthropological Associations) criticised the decision in the Guardian and the Observer. Noel Salazar wrote a letter to the AQA on behalf of EASA, signed by both incoming and outgoing Executive Committees.

As a side-effect of the depressing news from Britain, a vivid discussion about anthropology in schools in different countries has emerged. There are in fact many countries around the world where anthropology is being taught to secondary/high school students. Seeing the potential importance of anthropology as a school subject, the EASA will now proceed to collect data and produce an overview of the role of anthropology as a school subject in European countries.