Sharing an intellectual tradition and yet separated by rigid disciplinary boundaries, scholars of anthropology and international relations (IR) have in the late 20th and early 21st centuries found points of convergence in both research methods and research subjects. IR scholars have begun adopting anthropology’s signature ethnographic research methods and micro-level focus, while anthropologists have broadened their fieldwork sites to the multi-state and even global levels. International relations scholars have begun to study “culture,” ethnicity, and other micro-level subjects, while anthropologists have broadened their scope from kinship, language, and religion to topics like migration, human security, globalization, nonstate actors, human rights, and ethnic conflict. Both fields have begun to address their Eurocentric and male biases by seeking out the voices and experiences of women, people of color, and postcolonial subjects. All indications point to increased collaboration among scholars in these two disciplines.
