wASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL ANTHROPOLOGISTS |
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Federal Changes and Anthropological Adaptations
The year 2025 saw many sudden and unanticipated federal policy changes, funding cuts, and staffing and agency losses. These had broad and challenging impacts among anthropologists employed or funded by the federal government, either directly or at various contracting and funding levels. Policy changes have also had disruptive effects, such as cuts in support to any programming adjacent to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, whether federal, state, local, academic, or nonprofit.
The purpose of this webpage is to provide a virtual space for anthropologists to organize, track, present, and perhaps discuss the effects and responses to this crisis. This includes information related to changes to and elimination of agencies and individual employment, contract and contractor defunding, forced retirements, grants and research cuts, and related federal impacts.
We invite your contributions of materials related to the federal changes and how they impact anthropology and the larger society. These include:
- Materials that document the current federal transformation that focus in particular on anthropology. What has happened, and what is happening/ For example, how did funding for social science/anthropology research change under the current administration? How did funding and grant cuts affect faculty and graduate students?
- Strategies and steps that anthropologists have taken to cope and adapt. This could emphasize career adjustments but also financial, family, social, and personal issues.
- Insights into changes at policy levels, beyond what has obvious anthropological ties. Links could be shared here to policy updates from donor entities, associations and organizations like the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) or Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) , think tanks, and other relevant organizations.
There may be other websites, blogs, social media, or platforms that are collecting similar types of information. In those cases, please submit links to that content rather than simply duplicate the materials. Materials that are not specifically anthro-centric will be listed on the last section of this page.
Survey (in development)
Anthropologists affected by federal changes are invited to complete a brief, semi-structured survey sponsored by WAPA describing their situation, experiences, and survival strategies.
The primary purpose of this survey is to allow anthropologists impacted by federal cuts and policy changes to tell their stories and share their strategies for moving forward. A main goal is simply to understand what has happened to all fields of anthropology at all Federal levels and beyond starting in 2025.
WAPA will produce a report and data tables to be posted on this page and shared broadly across the discipline before the end of calendar year 2026.
Presentations
Dec. 9, 2025: Surviving DOGE: Anthropological Adaptations and Career Shifts
Virtual Roundtable, Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists
With Georgia Hartman, Sarah Love, and Anahid Matossian
Discussant: Elizabeth Briody
Summary: Three roundtable panelists summarize their experiences and what they have done to move forward in securing new jobs and/or careers after their federal positions were summarily eliminated. The discussant summarizes relevant patterns, followed by comments and questions from audience members.
The goal was to generate ideas and approaches to manage how we adapt and move forward from federal agency, staff, contractor, and funding cutbacks.
Additional roundtable information and presenter biosJune 13, 2025: Finding a Pivot Point: Assessing Your Career Journey in Anthropology
Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN)
With Suanna Selby Crowley
Summary: The Anthropology Career Readiness Network held a frank and open conversation about changing the trajectory of your career journey. For many, a pivot can bring renewed momentum and purpose. For others, it is an urgent response to new social, financial, or personal circumstances. And while many pivots require a radical change in job direction, others can thoughtfully focus career intention. But, for anthropologists, these can be difficult decisions to make. How do you know when it’s time to pivot? And where do you look for resources to support this process? The conversation shared big picture ideas and highlighted resources for mapping your path.
May 9, 2025: Expanding Your Professional Network into a New Area of Work
Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN)
With Elizabeth K. Briody
Summary: You are exploring job opportunities that require a career pivot—from academia to practice or from one domain of practice to another. The question becomes, how can you translate your anthropological training into a new work area? This webinar highlights the value in expanding your professional network into a new work domain. We discussed what networking is and how it works, why networking is useful, the importance of having networking goals, and preparation for any networking you do. We touched briefly on the domains of work (e.g., medical, nonprofit, industry) in which you hope to become employed, and practiced informational interviews.
May 2, 2025: Communal Care: A Listening Session
Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN)
With Jose Leonardo Santos and Robert H. Winthrop
Summary: Federal policy targets practicing social scientists with job loss, public humiliation, intimidation, and ominous uncertainty. This listening session was for those affected by layoffs, cuts and closures, and political marginalization. It invited participants to recount and compare stories, and share their hardships. Strategically, this sharing allows us to identify communal needs, formulate strategies to assist one another, and address collective trauma.
Professional Meeting Sessions
2026
SfAA roundtable, Friday, March 20. Presidential Invited Session. Crisis For Public Sector Anthropology.
Co-organizers: Shirley Fiske & Rob Winthrop
Format: Open discussion/listening session. Sponsored by WAPA.
2025
SfAA public sector listening session organized by Robert Winthrop.
This session laid the groundwork for other discussions and the Human Organization editorial noted below.
Publications, Reports, and Documentation
“A Crisis in the US Federal Government”
Robert Winthrop
Editorial, Human Organization, June 2025: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00187259.2025.2518208.
Anna Willow, Ohio State
Documentation based on short, conversational online interviews with U.S.-based anthropologists, including faculty, graduate students, lecturers, and those who work outside of academia.
Related Resources and Publications
This list will include various additional resources, including and beyond those related specifically to anthropology.
Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN) career transition working group list of resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P9wkMQYOiB8pNG6Sfn0c-VkQenyhtTiRegbnxGAvKI8/edit?tab=t.0.
The Organization of American Historians launched the Federal Employees and Contractors Oral History Project (FECOHP), a national initiative documenting the experiences of federal workers and contractors affected by the workforce disruptions that began in January 2025.
Expert Voices Together (EVT) provides trauma-informed support to journalists and researchers whose vital public-interest work is being undermined by coordinated campaigns of abuse and harassment.
An article in the Atlantic dated January 6, 2026, by Franklin Foer covering the administration's gutting of the US Civil Service..
A radio series starting in January 2026 on the WAMU call-in show "1A." The series covers cuts and ramifications across several federal agencies.
Scientists’ Role in Defending Democracy
Editorial by Gretchen Goldman and Erica Chenoweth, in Science, August 14, 2025.