SCA Contributing Editors Program: Call for Applications

Thank you for your interest. The application for new Contributing Editors is now closed. The next cohort will be selected in the fall of 2022.

The Society for Cultural Anthropology is pleased to accept applications to its Contributing Editors program, now in its twelfth year. The program provides a path for early-career scholars to get involved in the society’s intellectual and social life while offering distinctive opportunities for mentoring and skill-building. Our Contributing Editors (CEs) belong to a range of institutions around the world, with a variety of anthropological interests and career paths.

Contributing Editors produce and curate original content for Fieldsights, the society’s short-form publication, as well as creating supplemental posts extending the reach of articles in Cultural Anthropology, the SCA’s peer-reviewed journal. CEs also serve as the SCA’s public face by managing its popular Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Contributing Editorships are more than service positions: the program fosters networks beyond participants’ home institutions. CEs have access to professionalization opportunities such as an article writing workshop with the editors of Cultural Anthropology. Finally, experienced CEs can adopt leadership roles and help define a vision for one or more sections in the SCA’s innovative publishing enterprise.

Application Information

Current graduate students in social/cultural anthropology and related disciplines can apply to the program online:

Application: https://forms.gle/S326UNcuZqgxSg918

Deadline: Monday, December 21

The SCA and the Contributing Editor program are developing our commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Membership in the SCA or AAA is not required to become a CE. We also recognize that many emerging scholars doing social-cultural research are not located within anthropology departments and/or North American institutions. We welcome applications from grad students in Black, Indigenous, and Latinx studies; students in other relevant departments; and those working multimodally.

The application’s statement of interest should focus on one (and only one) of the CE sections listed below, describing the applicant’s potential contributions and explaining how the position connects to their research and/or professional interests. Applicants should familiarize themselves with the SCA’s website to be specific in their ideas. The online form also requires answering questions specific to the applicant’s section interest and forwarding a current CV by email. Complete instructions are available in the application.

In addition to creating supplemental posts extending the reach of articles in Cultural Anthropology, applicants to the program commit to being dependable, active members of one “home” section by creating several posts or projects per year with the guidance of their section editors and the program coordinators. CEs provide a brief report on their activities at the end of each academic year. CEs are appointed for an initial two-year term, which can be renewed once for a maximum term of four years.

Please direct any questions about the program or the application process to Paul Christians, SCA Student Representative, at [email protected]. We welcome your application!

Open Positions

AnthroPod: The SCA Podcast

(Section Editor: Josh Rivers)
AnthroPod is the podcast of the Society for Cultural Anthropology. Featuring conversations between anthropologists as well as experiments in sonic ethnography, the channel sees itself as a platform that highlights the polyphony of voices within cultural anthropology. Our episodes explore conceptual, methodological, and pedagogical issues across the discipline, while striving to make anthropology more widely accessible to all publics.

Member Voices

(Section Editor: Scott Schnur)
Member Voices showcases the intellectual vitality of the SCA by featuring the work of its members. Member Voices CEs review, edit, and format submissions for online publication in a range of formats. As such, Member Voices CEs have the privilege to read the latest work of SCA members—which often involves well-developed research that is yet to appear in formal academic journals. Member Voices CEs collectively learn editing skills from each other and, thus, improve their own reading and writing skills. CEs also have the opportunity to publish their own material or edit series for publication in the section.

Teaching Tools

(Section Editor: Erin Gould)
Teaching Tools is a resource for instructors, teaching assistants, and students in anthropology and related fields. We focus on ethnographic pedagogy, providing accessible insights into topics ranging from teaching theory in the classroom or using performative practices in teaching about ethnography to tips on preparing for a teaching demonstrations or course syllabi. We are looking for applicants interested in producing or curating content (individually, collaboratively, or both) including syllabi, class activity guides, reading lists, and discussions of pedagogical theory and practice.

Visual and New Media Review

(Section Editors: Andrés Romero and Megan Gette)
Visual and New Media Review (VNMR) is a multimedia forum for expanding the boundaries of academic and artistic engagement. Working at the intersections of anthropology, contemporary art, media, sound and film studies, and the digital humanities, the section seeks to sustain dialogues among these kindred pursuits and to provide a platform for experimental and innovative work. We seek Contributing Editors who are interested in experimental ethnography and sensory scholarship. As part of the VNMR section’s program, we seek to forge an editorial collective to rethink open-access scholarship, academic review processes, and multi-modal work in academia and beyond. We welcome scholars and artists interested in Black studies, Indigenous studies, Latinx studies, anthropology, sound and film studies, and hybrids of artistic research that will expand the boundaries of anthropological and artistic practice. Contributing Editors will receive the mentorship and support to generate creative work, as well as be part of a growing network at the edges of academic disciplines and editorial innovations. VNMR aims to foster a welcoming and creative environment through online discussions, writing support, and solidarity for graduate students and early career scholars.