Our research foci are embedded in a variety of structures, they overlap, and individual anthropologists contribute to activity in more than one.
At present, our foci are:
- Social Transformation and Development
- Migration
- Rights, Citizenship and Conflict
- Religion
- Science, Technology and Policy
Emerging themes
While these are all established research foci, we have also recognised a number of emerging themes, which we are particularly keen to develop. First, we are increasingly concerned with the inter-relationship between economic processes and forms of morality. This is manifest in research on Fair Trade by Peter Luetchford and Geert de Neve, on corporate social responsibility by Dinah Rajak and on religious charity by Jon Mitchell and Filippo Osella. Second, we are concerned with understanding the relationship between the life-course, generation, and particularly childhood and processes of development, migration, technology and religion. This is manifest in work on migrant children's understandings of family and home by Katy Gardner, on child labour and education by Pamela Kea, and on aid workers as mobile professionals by Meike Fechter. Third, our work is increasingly recognising the influence of the past on contemporary social and political life. This is manifest in Jane Cowan's research on minority rights and the League of Nations, James Fairhead's work on 19th century anthropology in Liberia, and Mark Leopold's biographical work on Idi Amin.