View of The World Anthropological Union (WAU) Congress 2024

Author: Vesna Vucinic Neskovic

Here follows a blog piece written by Vesna Vucinic Neskovic which has been adapted from the original publication (Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology, n. s. Vol. 19 Is. 4 (2024)) View of The World Anthropological Union (WAU) Congress 2024. It describes the Congress and BRIDGES role in the event.

Vesna Vučinić Nešković, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade Past Chair, World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA) Chair, WCAA Global Cultural Policies Task Force WCAA Liaison with UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition.

The World Anthropological Union (WAU) Congress 2024 “Reimagining Anthropological Knowledge: Perspectives, Practices, and Power”, Johannesburg, South Africa, November 11-15, 2024. 

The World Anthropological Union (WAU) 2024 Congress, themed “Reimagining Anthropological Knowledge: Perspectives, Practices, and Power,” took place at the Misty Hills Country Hotel and Conference Center in Johannesburg from November 11 to 15, 2024. 

Notably, this event marked the inaugural WAU Congress. In 2023, the WAU Steering Committee officially declared that, starting with this gathering, the WAU Congress will serve as the successor to the longstanding IUAES Congresses, a tradition that began in 1934. 

The WAU 2024 Congress issued its call for panels with the following invitation: “As a self-reflective and reflexive discipline Anthropology has seen concomitant shifts in knowledge and practice. Most notably, since the 1960s, we have seen [post-] theoretical movements: poststructuralism, postmodernism, post-colonialism, post-humanism, post postcolonialism> decolonial shifts. Anthropology enjoys a unique position amongst the social sciences – we value plural knowledge through cultural relativism and steadfastly oppose ethnocentrism, both of which contribute to our distinct perspectives. We recognize the constructed nature of knowledge and the power dynamics which shape our understanding of the world. Anthropological knowledge is ever-evolving – attend a congress that delves into the various facets of knowledge making and the diversity in the theoretical, geographical, and ontological dimensions of knowledge production.” 

The Congress was organized through the collaborative efforts of Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) and the World Anthropological Union (WAU), which comprises two chambers: the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) and the World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA). Anthropology Southern Africa (ASnA) serves as the professional association for social anthropologists living and working in Southern Africa, representing members across seven Southern African countries. ASnA organizes the largest anthropological conferences in the region and collaborates with anthropological organizations across the continent and the world. Additionally, it provides a platform for publishing academic research through its journal, Anthropology Southern Africa. Taking on a challenging yet significant role, ASnA spearheaded the organization of this inaugural WAU Congress. 

The World Anthropological Union (WAU) serves as an inclusive and cooperative forum that energizes transnational anthropologies. It functions as the interface uniting the missions of the IUAES and the WCAA, fostering international person-to-person dialogues and promoting collaborative exchange among anthropological associations. As a member of the International Science Council (ISC) and the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH), WAU upholds the ethical and scientific values of the discipline, positioning itself as anthropology’s primary international organization. 

The Congress was co-convened by Helen MacDonald (University of Cape Town), Treasurer of both WAU and ASnA, and Gcobani Qambela (University of Johannesburg), President of ASnA. The organizing committee included Isaac Nyamongo, Anita Nudelman, Gabriel Darong, Gabby Dlamini, Karabelo Temesi, Melusi Dlamini, Tien Chen, Heather O’Leary, and Shabnam Shaik. 

The Congress website, offers a comprehensive resource with a detailed overview of the program and associated activities. The WAU Congress took place from November 11 to 15 at the Misty Hills Country Hotel and Conference Center in Johannesburg, near the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, renowned for significant fossil discoveries, including the famous “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot.” 

The event welcomed anthropologists from various countries across all continents and was conducted in a hybrid format, allowing both on-site and virtual participation. Of the more than 1,000 attendees, one third participated on-site, while two thirds joined online. The program featured 124 thematic panels, 19 roundtables, 2 workshops, 5 lekgotlas, 5 film screenings, and 7 book presentations. The full program and event details are available here. 

The event spanned five days, encompassing a diverse array of plenary and parallel sessions. The Congress Inauguration took place on the morning of November 11, with welcoming addresses delivered by Helen MacDonald (WAU Treasurer and principal Congress organizer), Gordon Mathews (WCAA Chair), Isaac Nyamongo (IUAES President), and Gabby Dlamini (former ASnA President). 

These were followed by a keynote lecture by Dr. Kharnita Mohamed, titled “Epistemic Debilitation and the Erasure of Genocide.” In the subsequent days, keynote lectures were presented by Dr. Ziyanda Majombozi (Stellenbosch University), Dr. Michael Rivera (University of Hong Kong), and Prof. Rosalva Aída Hernández Castillo (CIESAS, Mexico City). The Closing Address was delivered by Dr. Kelly Gillespie (University of the Western Cape). 

Lekgotlas were a distinctive feature of the WAU Congress. A lekgotla is a South African term referring to a public space for village assemblies, court cases, and meetings of village leaders, as well as the consultative processes between groups pursuing a common goal within these spaces. The aim of this session format was to connect Congress participants with local communities engaged in specific activities highlighted by the lekgotla organizers. 

The themes explored included: (1) Human Origins and Anthropology (at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site), (2) Bridging Worlds: Contemporary African Art in Global Discourse (at the NIROX Sculpture Park), (3) Water: A Source of Life (at the Cradle Mood Conservancy), (4) Traditional Health Practitioners: Discussion/Learning/Collaboration (at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens), and (5) Public Anthropology of Food: Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Insights on Nutrition and Human Health (at Stelle Restaurant). 

The parallel panels, where the majority of papers were presented, encompassed a wide range of themes. While most were organized by IUAES commissions and some by WCAA Task Forces, others were curated by individual co-organizers from two or three different countries. English was the official language of communication throughout the Congress. 

The World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA) sponsored several roundtables and panels during the Congress. On November 11, Virginia R. Dominguez and Carmen Rial organized a roundtable titled “Good Practices on 1383 Global Publishing.”  An engaging panel, “World Anthropologies: The World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA), its Member-Associations and the Making of a Plural Community of Anthropologists,” was held on November 12, organized by Bela Feldman-Bianco and Andrew ‘Mugsy’ Spiegel. On November 13, Clara Saraiva organized “The WCAA and IUAES Roundtable on AI,” while Michel Bouchard and Subhadra Channa convened a roundtable titled “Whose Side are We On? Voices and Statements Emanating from Anthropologists to the World Community.” The panel “What are Anthropological Values? Comparisons Across the World,” organized by Gordon Mathews and Thomas Hylland Eriksen, took place on November 14. The final day, November 15, featured the roundtable “Tensions Between the Local and the Regional: Towards a Differentiated Articulation,” organized by Lía Ferrero and Bela Feldman-Bianco. 

The WCAA Global Cultural Policies Task Force played a pivotal role in co-organizing two Congress events. The first was the roundtable titled “Post Everything, Everywhere, All at Once: Adapting to the Turbulence of a Rapidly Changing World,” co-organized by Fadwa El Guindi and Luci Attala. Sponsored by the WCAA Global Cultural Policies Task Force and the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition, the session was held on November 14 from 8:30 to 9:45 am and featured five speakers: Luci Attala (University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES UK Hub Director), Isaac Nyamongo (Co-Operative University of Kenya, IUAES President and WAU Co-Chair), Vesna Vučinić Nešković (University of Belgrade, WCAA Global Cultural Policies Task Force Chair, WAU Liaison with UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES), Noel Salazar (Past President of EASA, Former IUAES Secretary-General, WAU Liaison with ISC), and Fadwa El Guindi (University of California, Los Angeles, Founder of El Nil Research). 

Originally, Steven Hartman (Arizona State University, UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition Founding Executive Director) and Thomas Reuter (University of Melbourne, Past WCAA Chair, Past IUAES Senior Vice President, Deputy Chair of the Anthropology, Public Policy and Development Practice Commission) were also scheduled to speak, but unforeseen circumstances prevented their participation. 

Further details on this roundtable can be found here.

This roundtable explored the paradox that, despite having the most “educated” population in history, the world is on the brink of ecological and systemic breakdown (The Commons World Collective 2020, citing Orr 2011). As forecasts of global existential uncertainties mount, calls for transformative change span economic, social, educational, ethical, political, and environmental domains, while “business as usual” becomes increasingly untenable. Yet such transformation remains contested, generating novel tensions between local and global forces, shifting power structures, and polarizing political identities. 

The roundtable examined anthropology’s role in understanding and responding to these urgent calls for change. Drawing on post-capitalist, post-growth, and post-development frameworks, speakers analyzed both bottom-up initiatives that transcend national boundaries and top-down globalized approaches addressing humanity’s predicaments. Key topics included the value of creative, transdisciplinary approaches to Issues in adaptation, the implications of climate change for humankind, the complexity of shifting geopolitical alignments, fostering local-to-global societal transformation through experimental pedagogies, and anthropology’s potential to confront global change. By critically reflecting on transformations underway – or yet to occur – this discussion offered perspectives on navigating the turbulence of a rapidly changing world

The original and complete article was first published and can be read in full here: View of The World Anthropological Union (WAU) Congress 2024

Details of the WAU Congress 2025 can be found here.

The paper presented by Luci Attala, Post Everything, Everywhere, All at Once: Adapting to the Turbulence of a Rapidly Changing World, can be accessed here.