Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland

The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI) is the world's longest established anthropological organisation, with a global membership. Since 1843, it has been at the forefront of new developments in anthropology and new means of communicating them to a broad audience. Its remit includes all the component fields of anthropology, such as biological anthropology, evolutionary anthropology, social anthropology, cultural anthropology, visual anthropology and medical anthropology, as well as sub-specialisms within these, and interests shared with neighbouring disciplines such as human genetics, archaeology and linguistics. It seeks to combine a distinguished tradition of scholarship with up-to-the-minute services to anthropology and to all anthropologists, including students. It has a particular commitment to promoting the public understanding of anthropology, as well as the contribution anthropology can make to public affairs and social issues. It includes within its 'constituency' not only University-based academic anthropologists, but also those with a generalist interest in the subject, and those trained in anthropology who work in other, practical or applied, fields.

History

The Institute's members are lineal successors to the founding members of the Ethnological Society of London, who in February 1843 formed a breakaway group of the Aborigines' Protection Society, which had been founded in 1837, in the aftermath of the early 19th century Quaker campaign against the African slave trade.

The new society was to be 'a centre and depository for the collection and systematization of all observations made on human races'.

Almost from the start, the membership found itself divided over racialist issues, and between 1863 and 1870 there were two organizations, the Ethnological Society and the Anthropological Society.

The Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (1871) was the result of a merger between these two rival bodies.

Permission to add the word 'Royal' was granted in 1907.

Publications

The Institute publishes three journals.

Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, formerly Man, is a quarterly journal with articles on all aspects of anthropology, as well as correspondence and a section of book reviews. The Journal provides an important forum for 'anthropology as a whole', embracing social anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology and the study of material culture. A Special (fifth) issue was inaugurated in 2006. The Special Issue appears annually, is guest-edited or single-authored, and addresses different themes in anthropology from year to year.

Anthropology Today is a bimonthly publication which aims to provide a forum for the application of anthropological analysis to public and topical issues, while reflecting the breadth of interests within the discipline of anthropology. It is committed to promoting debate at the interface between anthropology and areas of applied knowledge such as education, medicine and development; as well as that between anthropology and other academic disciplines.

Anthropological Index Online was launched in 1997. The Index is an online bibliographic service for researchers, teachers and students of anthropology worldwide. Access is free to individual users; institutional users (except those in developing countries) pay an annual subscription. Major European and other languages of scholarship are covered, and new material is added on a continuing basis.

The RAI Collection

The RAI has a unique reference and research collection comprising photos, films, archives and manuscripts.

The photographic library consists of over 75,000 historic prints, negatives, lantern-slides and other images, the earliest dating from the 1860s. The photo library illustrates the great diversity and vitality of the world's cultures as well as the history of photographic image-making itself.

The RAI is actively involved in developing ethnographic film and video, as a mode of anthropological enquiry and as an educational resource. It has an extensive collectionn of videos, copies of which are available for sale for educational and academic purposes. Films can be studied and previewed onsite.

The archive and manuscript collection spans a period of over 150 years, providing a unique historical record of the discipline and of the Institute itself. Much unpublished textual and visual material entrusted to the RAI over the years is held in the manuscript collection, which is being conserved and catalogued on a continuing basis.

Access to the RAI Collection is free to all RAI Fellows, Members, Student Associates and all undergraduate students by prior appointment. Others may visit the Collection on payment of an access fee.

The RAI has a close association with the British Museum's Anthropology Library, which incorporates the former RAI Library given to the Museum in 1976. The Library is located within the Centre for Anthropology at the British Museum, and is effectively Britain's national anthropological library. All may use the Library on site; RAI Fellows may borrow books acquired by the RAI.

RAI Events

From time to time, the RAI runs lectures, workshops and other special events on topical issues. Its International Festivals of Ethnographic Film, run every two years inpartnership with UK universities and other hosts, are a recognised part of the international ethnographic film calendar. Competitions for the Film Prizes attract entries from film-makers throughout the world.

Joining the RAI

Many people from all over the world are affiliated to the RAI. We welcome anyone with an interest in the subject, whether working in an academic institution or not. Our affliates include academic specialists, students, those working in fields where anthropology has practical applications, and those whose interest is captured by the subject matter of anthropology. The membership structure has been designed as far as possible to suit all interest groups.

Individuals can join the RAI as Fellows, Members or Student Associates.

Fellowship is intended for those who have an academic or professional engagement with the social sciences, but serious amateurs are warmly welcomed. Fellows are elected by the Council of the RAI.

Membership is available to all those who have a general interest in the study of humanity. Members do not need to be elected.

Student Associate status is available to all registered postgraduate students on taught or research programmes in any field of anthropology. Student Associates do not need to be elected but annual confirmation of their postgraduate student status is required.

External links

* [http://www.therai.org.uk/index.html The Royal Anthropological Institute]
* [http://www.raifilmfest.org.uk/ RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Film]