The Optimistic Anthropologist Vol. 23

A confident relationship with the unknown.

September 30, 2019

September 2019, Volume 23View this email in your browser

Dear ,

Happy fall and

to those who celebrate!  

I've been back in Washington, DC for most of the month and grateful to catch up with my community of friends who live here and have been visiting.  In the course of a few days, I had the chance to meet up with friends to hear

talk thoughtfully about systems producing inequitable results and how she is seeking to change them through her new organizations focused on

and an 

. 

Then a few days later, I caught up with my friend Nate Dewart who was in visiting from Oakland doing some organizing work for the 

 focused on securing fair elections in 2020 and ending government corruption. I was reminded yet again how the work of building trustworthy institutions and  systems, and the work of changing individual and collective mindsets are so intrinsically connected.

I was also reminded of the power of a good question when over lunch, Nate posed this humdinger: "In the United States, what’s the culture that we're protecting?"  

I have been thinking about this question on and off for the last two weeks and find myself still struggling with it. In part because it's hard for me to identify a homogenous U.S. culture, and in part because of how the term "protecting" feels so uncomfortable and yet rings true. 

So, I hope that you'll share with me your thoughts on Nate's question, and also contemplate a version of it with an optimistic anthropologist's spin,  "In the United States, what's the culture that we should be creating and protecting?"

Be well and do good,AlisonP.S.

 If you're interested in seeing some of photographs and reflections from my time in Bosnia-Herzegovina - including from

,

, and

- be sure to stop by my

.

The Latest on the Website

Trust is a topic that comes up again and again in the work of complex social change. At OA, we have amassed an array of resources on the topic that have shaped and informed our thinking. In this post, we weave together the thinking, framing, and research on trust. Because, while we often talk about trust it's rarer to take the time to understand and define trust and its characteristics. Read it here!

A lot of our work at Optimistic Anthropology focuses on seeing systems and patterns and connections between seemingly disparate things. And then helping teams build their capacity to see them too, and work to change them for more positive and equitable outcomes. 

  Here are

Optimistic Anthropology's Seeking Projects for 2020

We'd love your help finding projects where we can contribute in 2020!  If you know of organizations or cross-sector collaborations that need a collaborative consultant or strategic advisor to help them build their knowledge, cultures, and processes so that they can “learn into” solutions to complex social challenges, please send them our way!  We’re especially passionate about groups who put racial and gender equity at the center of their work, whether that work is in local communities; health; nature, play, and the outdoors; or arts and culture!  Email us today!

Job, Consulting, and Fellowship Opportunities

is a monthly round up of job, consulting, and fully-funded internship, fellowship and accelerator opportunities that people connected to Optimistic Anthropology are recruiting for. We’ve launched something new for 2019 - rolling submissions, so each month's post will be updated with new opportunities as they come in! 

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