INDIAN ANTHROPOLOGY CONGRESS 2025: Envisioning Anthropology for a Developed India

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Indian Anthropology Congress (IAC) is an annual event of the Indian National Confederation and Academy of Anthropologists (INCAA). The IAC-2025 is being organized by INCAA in collaboration with the Anthropological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The Congress aims to bring together academicians, scientists, and researchers of all branches of anthropology and allied disciplines to deliberate and share their research findings.

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THE VENUE

Anthropological Survey of India,

Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

(located at Salt Lake, Sector-V, Kolkata, West Bengal, India)

About the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI)

Established in 1945, AnSI is headquartered in Kolkata and operates under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It has seven Regional Centers, One Sub Regional Centre and Three Field Stations spreading across the country. The AnSI is a premier research organization that conducts comprehensive research covering all branches of anthropology. The published papers, monographs, manuals and the unpublished reports stand in testimony to the research contribution of AnsI to the field of anthropology. Its work has helped shape an understanding of India's diverse human landscape and also for informed policy decisions related to cultural preservation and socio-economic development. In the field of Cultural Anthropology, AnSI’s research focus has been ethnographic accounts of different communities and institutions, examination of interethnic relationships and also evaluation research with implications for policy and programmes for health care, the spread of formal education, resettlement of rehabilitation of displaced communities, biodiversity and sustainable development, etc., The research in Physical anthropology is similarly both basic and applied in nature, with studies on growth and development, human genetics,  human variation, food and nutrition, etc. Its collaborative research in the field of paleoanthropology resulted in substantial insights into human migrations and evolution.  (please visit www.ansi.gov for details on research studies by AnSI). AnSI partners with reputed national and international institutions for the fulfilment of its research endeavours.

About Indian National Confederation and Academy of Anthropologists (INCAA)

INCAA has emerged as the apex organization of the profession in March 2004. It is registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act XXVI of 1961 (registration number S/1L/20556 of 2003-2004, dated March 12, 2004), with its registered office at 225, Kadam Kanon, Jhargram 721507, India. Currently, it has about 211 Founder Members, 709 Life Members, and 6 Institutional Members representing almost all States/Union Territories of the country. INCAA's primary role is to promote the cause of Anthropology and Anthropologists, particularly those associated with India.

THE THEME AND CONCEPT NOTE

Envisioning Anthropology for a Developed India

Indian Anthropology has a rich history, evolving from the establishment of the Asiatic Society of Bengal on 15th January 1784. Initially following the paths laid by colonial anthropologists, Indian anthropologists traditionally focused on studying tribal studies chiefly to establish the uniqueness of their cultures and to dignify India’s diversity. However, anthropology has transcended its colonial origins to become a crucial lens through which the interconnectedness of its ethnic communities can be more fully examined. The writings under the influence of colonial anthropology are being contested, and Indian scholarship on tribal cultures and societies and their relationship with the Indian civilization is emerging. Further, the development agenda of Independent India has also called for setting aside traditional ethnographic works in favour of proving their worth for policy and programme. Thus began the more meaningful Applied Anthropology and Development anthropology studies. The contribution of anthropology in this direction, though, is not small, its recognition in government circles for public policy is admittedly not significant.

During the last 2-3 decades, there has been an apparent rejuvenation of Indian anthropology, and a more significant number of younger scholars have had the opportunity to be part of teams of interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research. The university departments also began offering electives such as public anthropology, business anthropology, medical anthropology, digital anthropology, practising anthropology, molecular anthropology, neuroanthropology, etc. Hence, the research agenda shifted to newer areas. Simultaneously, the changing theoretical paradigms and advocacy for multispecies ethnography, the One Health approach, and other global approaches have also changed research perspectives.

Today, as India is marching towards the number one rank in every field, the relevance of anthropological approaches and anthropologists' role in fulfilling these goals is even more increasingly felt. Viksit Bharat 2047' is the current Government's roadmap to making India a completely developed nation by 2047. As India strives to achieve economic prosperity, social inclusivity, cultural vibrancy, and environmental sustainability, under this Mission of Viksit Bharat 2047, anthropology can provide critical perspectives that inform policies and initiatives across various domains.

Indian Anthropology is not just ready, but eager to respond to and play a vital role in accomplishing the Government's vision. The theme of the 'Indian Anthropology Congress -2025' is chosen to allow discourses and scholarly presentations on all sub-themes that address the key components of the 'Viksit Bharat 2047'. This underscores the importance of Indian Anthropology in shaping and achieving the Government's vision.

Sub-themes of the Conference
Anthropology and Public Policy
Health, Medicine, and Anthropology
Preservation and transmission of cultural heritage through digital media
Gender, Development and Society
Indigenous Knowledge and Practices
Environmental Sustainability and Anthropology
Technology and Digital Anthropology
Anthropology and Social Justice
Anthropological Perspectives on India's Soft Power
Palaeoanthropology for Nation's Unity and Identity
Health and Disease from a Biological Perspective
Human Growth and Development
Human Genetic Variation and Diversity

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