Las posibilidades de la práctica. Apuntes teóricos, metodológicos y éticos para una colaboración entre la Antropología y la Salud Pública en el Reino Unido

This article aims to suggest ideas for a more dynamic anthropological practice in Spain, through the examination of and comparison with anthropological practice in UK. Using an ethnographic evaluation of a public health programme in UK as a departing point, the author explores the positive aspects which could be extracted and extrapolated form the anthropological practice in that country. This article reviews the ways in which British anthropology connects with other disciplines, agencies and institutions in order to offer reflexive commentaries which have an impact both on public health interventions and on anthropological theory. These theoretical and practical dimensions are possible thanks to British anthropology’s grounding on theoretical tradition (a tradition which is constantly renewed through interdisciplinary dialogue), thanks to the use of collaborative methodologies (which demand the implication of institutions and researchers alike) and thanks to the concern with the ethical questions arisingfrom the anthropological enterpriseEl presente artículo pretende, a través de una visión de la práctica antropológica en el Reino Unido, sugerir ideas para abrir el camino a una antropología peninsular más dinámica ydialogante. A través de la consideración de una evaluación etnográfica de un programa de salud pública en el Reino Unido, se exploran los puntos positivos que pudieran extraerse de la práctica antropológica en ese país. El artículo explora cómo la antropología académica británica conecta con otras disciplinas, agencias e instituciones para ofrecer reflexiones que revierten tanto en la evaluación de acciones sociales como en la producción de nueva teoría antropológica. Esta labor a la vez teórica y práctica es posible gracias al anclaje en una tradición teórica renovada constantemente a través del diálogo interdisciplinario, la utilización de metodologías colaborativas que requieren del compromiso de instituciones e investigadores y la preocupación por las cuestiones éticas que rodean a la labor antropológica

La apertura ontológica de la antropología contemporánea

Recent decades have seen a proliferation of works in anthropology which refer to matters of ontology. They reflect anthropological concerns with the nature of being and reality, and at the same time critically review the boundaries and categories of Western modernity. Yet to what extent have these ontological anthropologies interrogated or transformed fundamental anthropological concepts such as culture, difference, materiality, alterity, comparison or ethnography? This article offers an overview of the key theoretical and methodological contributions of ontological anthropologies (both conceptual versions, such as the so called «ontological turn», and more ontic versions), with respect to issues which include the notion of radical alterity, the return to animism, the idea of symmetrical anthropology or the methodological proposals of recursivity and controlled equivocation. At the same time, the paper outlines the main debates which have emerged in our discipline as a result of this opening up to ontological matters, such as the discussions around the nature-culture dichotomy, the frontiers of alterity, the nature of reality, and the reach of ontologically informed political programmes.En las últimas décadas se ha producido dentro de la antropología una eclosión de trabajos relacionados con cuestiones de ontología, que reflejan preocupaciones sobre la naturaleza del ser y de la realidad, al tiempo que reconsideran críticamente las demarcaciones y categorizaciones propias de la modernidad occidental. Pero, ¿de qué manera estas antropologías ontológicas han interrogado o transformado conceptos fundamentales de nuestra disciplina como son los de cultura, diferencia, materialidad, alteridad, comparación o etnografía? El presente artículo pretende ofrecer una visión de conjunto de las principales aportaciones teóricas y metodológicas de las antropologías ontológicas (tanto de corte conceptual, sobre todo el denominado «giro», como óntico), tales como la noción de alteridad radical, las revisiones animistas, la antropología simétrica, la recursividad o la equivocación controlada. Al mismo tiempo, se perfilan los principales debates surgidos en el seno de nuestra disciplina a raíz de la apertura ontológica, como son las discusiones sobre la dicotomía naturaleza-cultura, las fronteras de la alteridad, la naturaleza de la realidad, o el alcance del proyecto político de corte ontológico

A Latin American Perspective to Agricultural Ethics

The mixture of political, social, cultural and economic environments in Latin America, together with the enormous diversity in climates, natural habitats and biological resources the continent offers, make the ethical assessment of agricultural policies extremely difficult. Yet the experience gained while addressing the contemporary challenges the region faces, such as rapid urbanization, loss of culinary and crop diversity, extreme inequality, disappearing farming styles, water and land grabs, malnutrition and the restoration of the rule of law and social peace, can be of great value to other regions in similar latitudes, development processes and social problems. This chapter will provide a brief overview of these challenges from the perspective of a continent that is exposed to the consequences of extreme inequality in multiple dimensions and conclude by arguing for the need to have a continuous South-South dialogue on the challenges of establishing socially and environmentally sustainable food systems

Tackling illicit tobacco for better health: final evaluation report

In recognition of the role of illicit tobacco (IT) in undermining tobacco control strategies and in maintaining and encouraging tobacco use among deprived communities, the North of England Tackling Illicit Tobacco for Better Health Programme (the Programme) was launched in July 20091. The main aim of this pilot Programme was to increase the health of the population in three regions (North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber) through reducing smoking prevalence by (a) reducing the availability (supply) of IT, thus keeping real tobacco prices high; and (b) reducing the demand for IT by building on existing tobacco control measures. Prior to the launch of this Programme, IT was largely the responsibility of the agency, Her Majesty‟s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), which focused predominantly on supply, so the Programme marked the first large-scale attempt of the health sector to reduce IT use. The UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies (UKCTCS)2 was commissioned in September 2009 to evaluate the Programme up until March 2011. The evaluation team was multi-disciplinary and included researchers from the Universities of Nottingham, Durham (including researchers from FUSE3), Stirling, Northumbria and University College London