Fairness and (In)equality: U-M Anthropology Four Field Symposium 2025

The Department of Anthropology will host its annual Four Field Symposium on Friday, Oct. 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Michigan Union Pendleton Room (second floor). Titled “Fairness and (In)equality,” the symposium will gather the department’s four subfields for guest speaker presentations and discussion.

In a global context where concerns about ‘fairness’ and ‘(in)equality’ are heightened, these concepts are simultaneously being challenged, as the principles and values they embody are becoming subjects of explicit contestation. How can a four-field anthropological approach provide a deeper understanding and grounding of these material concerns and their accompanying debates? By bringing together insights from archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology, this symposium seeks to bring attention to the intricate ways in which fairness and (in)equality come to matter across scales and times and through human and nonhuman divides.

This event is free and open to the public; please register to attend.

SPEAKERS

Archaeology: Anna Agbe-Davies, UNC-Chapel Hill
Biological Anthropology: Katherine McAuliffe, Boston College
Linguistic Anthropology: Justin Richland, UC Irvine
Sociocultural Anthropology: Anastasia Piliavsky, King’s College (London)

LIVESTREAM LINK: Coming soon!

If you need accommodations in order to attend, please email anthro.exec.secretary@umich.edu by Friday, October 10.