CALL FOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, American Anthropologist

The American Anthropological Association seeks applications for a new Editor-in-Chief (or Co-Editors-in-Chief) of the discipline’s flagship journal, the American Anthropologist (AA), for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2020. Now in its second century of continuous publication, AA publishes articles, reviews, and commentaries from across anthropological perspectives. It is the most widely circulated anthropology journal published by the American Anthropological Association and showcases the breadth and depth of the discipline.

The position of AA Editor-in-Chief (EIC) offers a unique opportunity for shaping the discipline’s identity and future. Each EIC has been encouraged to put their own stamp on the journal. The EIC is not expected to have expertise in all subfields of anthropology, but must be interested in creatively developing vital conversations within and across fields and forms of practice and engagement and in contributing collaboratively to the global construction and circulation of anthropological knowledge. We expect this to include engagement with critical scholarly topics and public debate, as well as with new developments in digital publishing and use of media. Above all, the AAA Executive Board seeks an EIC who will maintain the journal at the cutting edge of the field.

The AAA Executive Board invites submissions from a wide range of candidate profiles. We wish to especially encourage applicants from underrepresented groups and a diversity of backgrounds, including racial/ethnic diversity, women, early career scholars, and practicing anthropologists. Institutional support is important but not required, and the association will ensure that essential support is provided. We are also prepared to consider innovative forms of editorship, including for example collaborative proposals for joint editorships.

The position of EIC is a four-year appointment. The current job description is available here and will be used to assess candidacies.

Letters of interest should be emailed to Janine Chiappa McKenna, AAA Publications Department (jmckenna@americananthro.org), and Monica Heller, AA Editor Search Committee Chair (monica.heller@utoronto.ca), by January 15, 2019. From the resulting pool, a mid-list of candidates will be contacted and asked to submit a vision statement and responses to several standard questions, a C.V. with the names and contact information for three scholars who can provide letters of reference, and a letter outlining institutional support by July 15, 2019. Interviews with finalists will be conducted at the November 2019 Meeting of the AAA in Vancouver.