2025/01/02 by Jennifer Wies · 1 voice · 4 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development #Anthropological Studies and Insights #Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/00187259.2025.2476437
openalex publication_date 2025/01/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
Fear has justified both oppression and advocacy, from colonial control to cultural preservation. Today, fear remains central as the second Trump administration dismantles diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, global development efforts, and health equity initiatives. Fear, thus, has always shaped anthropology as a force that determines research questions, ethical boundaries, and applications of knowledge. Applied anthropology must recognize fear’s dual nature: as a tool of domination and a catalyst for resistance. Tracing examples of applied anthropologists addressing fear, this piece calls for a continued holistic, engaged, and advocacy-driven anthropology that counters fear-driven policymaking through public scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and direct action. In times of political upheaval, applied anthropologists must use power – our power – to harness fear as a driver for justice and transformation.