Master of Arts [M.A] [Applied Cultural Anthropology in Hawai`i, the Pacific and Asia] From University of Hawaii at Manoa

The MA track in Applied Cultural Anthropology takes as its ethical touchstone kuleana (rights, responsibilities), extended in practical ways that make significant differences in people’s lives. This emphasis on kuleana means that the ethics of what we do continually guides our actions – informed by cultural values, upholding the dignity of individuals, paying close attention to the implications and ramifications of our actions.

We seek to be effective advocates for the communities in which we work in Hawai‘i and elsewhere in the Pacific and Asia, as we include within our purview a focus on Indigenous peoples. Although institutions throughout the continental United States offer graduate training in applied cultural anthropology, our program is unique in its geographical and cultural focus on Hawai‘i, Oceania, and Asia, with special kuleana for Indigenous peoples.

Sometimes called “engaged anthropology,” “practicing anthropology,” “public anthropology,” or “advocacy anthropology” (each with different nuances), we have chosen to call this MA track “applied cultural anthropology” to more closely parallel the MA track in applied archaeology. Under this umbrella terminology we remain committed to high levels of research, responsible engagement, public practices, and guided intervention using the methods and analytical tools of cultural anthropology.

Ours is training in and commitment to community involvement through the ethics of what we do and how we do it. We recognize the fundamental importance of community sustainability, described here as upholding and promoting cultural values, practices, resources, and interactions in close relationship with the people and environment (Hawaiian ‘aina, land). It is this strong tie to sustainability in the broadest sense of the term that drives training in the program toward community-based fields of employment.