WHY ‘ANTHROPOLOGICAL PEDAGOGY’ MAY MATTER: POSITIONING ‘ANTHROPOLOGICAL PEDAGOGY’ AS A GAME CHANGING PARADIGM IN TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY ANTHROPOLOGY AND TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PEDAGOGY

Abstract

This paper seeks to introduce the core objectives of ‘Anthropological Pedagogy’ in twenty-first century anthropology and twenty-first century pedagogy, and emphasize its importance to a broad array of readers. We expect the discipline of ‘Anthropological Pedagogy’ to be a distinct field of study well within the purview of Anthropology, though in a sense, it would straddle the worlds of both Anthropology and Pedagogy, and seek to promote anthropological goals through the medium of education. The objectives of this field of study, would be different from the field of Educational psychology which studies the psychology of learning, the field of ‘Anthropology of Education’ which is much narrower in scope, and the relatively less-known field of Pedagogical Anthropology which was proposed by Maria Montessori over a century ago, despite a possible overlap between all the above. The objective of this paper is to invite other anthropologists and researchers to contribute to what will hope will become a vibrant field of study in due course of time and will eventually enhance human welfare and well-being, particularly in the long-term through more scientifically structured education systems with ratify them with individual performance and aspirations, cultural characteristics and social goals.