See also, Information for Authors
From, the Society for Applied Anthropology Newsletter
Vol, 11, No. 1
REPORT FROM THE HO EDITOR
By RobertHackenberg
<hackenbr@spot.Colorado.EDU>
and Donald D. Stull
<stull@lark.cc.ukans.edu>
University of Kansas
In recent months Human Organization has received requests to publish sets of manuscripts exploring a major topic. The proponent is expected to serve as guest editor and the package itself becomes a special section if accepted. Most often, the submissions will originate in invited sessions presented at annual meetings of the SfAA or a similar venue.
The argument for occasional in-depth coverage arises from the rapid expansion of applied anthropology and the proliferation of topics addressed by the membership of SfAA. Our annual meetings give equal status to a diverse set of subjects. Medical, urban, rural, environmental, industrial, managerial, occupational, commercial, and ideological topics are prominent within a much more inclusive universe. Boundaries are further dimmed and disappear when we receive reminders from prominent members that SfAA and its journal were intended to accommodate "applied behavioral science" and not applied anthropology alone.
At present HO's table of contents reflects this cafeteria of offerings extracted from our mailbox and subjected to quality control via peer review rather than screening for subject matter. While this process is intentionally democratic, it yields an editorial product which is neither cumulative nor focused.
We believe that a balance can be struck between in-depth coverage and individually submitted manu-scripts. Subjects for broadened treatment may be proposed by editorial and advisory boards or by members at large. Topics recently proposed and offered here as examples include the following: 1) the fate of pastoral people confronting competing development activities; 2) the consequences of forced resettlement for displaced communities; 3) implications of bi-national industrialization on the US-Mexico border; 4) survival of organic food producers in an agribusiness environment.
There follows some suggested ground rules to guide possible proponents and to assist the editors in screening proposals. The justification for a topical section resides in its theme. HO is dedicated to "application of scientific principles controlling human behavior to practical problems," as it says in SfAA’s articles of incorporation. The theme should be consistent with the purpose of the journal and the proponent must make a case for its appeal to a significant segment of the membership.
We should recognize the formative nature of applied social science. Theories and methods and examples of the "middle range" with easily perceived applications to problem situations in comparative environments should be preferred. Similar problems recur across the spectrum of world communities. Shortages of food and water, health services andemployment, housing and sanitation are found in abundance in Asia, Africa and Latin America and less frequently at home. An ideal special topic would docu-ment the cross-regional application of a common intervention.
A recent example is the success of the Grameen Bank: this microenterprise loan program which began in Bangladesh has now become universal.
The quest editor-to-be occupies a pivotal position in the presentation of a topic for consideration. The introductory essay must provide a convincing rationale. It must contain a synopsis of the problem with references to the critical literature. It should explain important gaps and indicate possible insights and solutions to be presented in the work of the contributors. It should underscore themes and processes that provide linkage across the set of contributed essays.
The contributors should offer specific treatments of the theme lodged in a well-documented context. They should provide analysis that explores the roots of the problem and opens the door to either possible or actual interventions. Insights identifying strategies that either worked, or failed to work or might have worked, have special value to applied practitioners.
Each essay must possess “stand alone” quality as a well-constructed statement that provides substantial arguments exploring and expanding the theme. Essays may be cross-referenced but overlap, redun-dancy and repetition are not acceptable. Space is always at a premium.
A topical section is not a monograph and will never approximate the coherence and thematic development of the work of a single author. Each of the essayists is entitled to employ a personal style (see John Van Maanen 1988, Tales from the Field, for alternatives). Still proponents and invited contributors should remember that their proposals may fall victim to the same defect that triggers the rejection of many edited volumes: disconnected essays with heterogeneous subject matter providing no compelling reason for appearing together.
The proportion of HO space to be allocated to topical sections will not be reserved in advance. We have no preconceptions on this subject. Our goal remains the same: to publish the highest quality manuscripts presented to us. Articles proposed for topical sections will be subjected to the same peer review as unsolicited material. We do not intend to accord them a com-petitive advantage.
Persons intending to submit a collection on a special topic should contact us early in the process. Before sending manuscripts, editors should write Robert Hackenberg or Don Stull, describing the collection and its contents. The description should address the significance of the topic for applied social science and include detailed abstracts of the proposed manu-scripts with brief bio-data on the authors.
