As editor-in-chief of American Anthropologist since 2007, UCI anthropologist Tom Boellstorff has contributed to the journal's 36 percent increase in 5-year impact factor, 61 percent immediacy index (how quickly articles are cited) increase, and 50.9 percent increase in article influence. In 2011, the publication became the number one most downloaded journal in Wiley-Blackwell's 490 social sciences and humanities repertoire. With Boellstorff at the helm, the editorial board was expanded to include an associate editor for public anthropology, and the flagship journal of the American Anthropological Association now contains a new public anthropology review section. He internationalized the editorial board, began publishing non-English abstracts, facilitated transnational collaboration, and added “Year in Review” articles, a “Vital Topics Forum” and virtual issues. He also engaged in a series of innovations - such as the new online submissions system - which have reduced the typical time for review to one-three months.

Join the Department of Anthropology in celebrating Boellstorff's contributions at the up-coming American Anthropology conference where a series of speakers will present papers and engage in discussions on topics that speak to the state of anthropology today. The conference also provides an opportunity for graduate students to be published in the premiere journal. See below for more details and click here for a full conference schedule.

"American Anthropology: A Conference at UC Irvine"

Friday, January 27, 2012
9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway, Room 1517

Attendance is free; no RSVP needed. For further information, please contact Keith Drover, kdrover@uci.edu.

Graduate student information:
In conjunction with this workshop, there is an opportunity for graduate students to be published in American Anthropologist. Graduate students from any discipline and department are eligible and do not need to be from UC Irvine. To be considered, you need to attend most, if not all, of the workshop. Then, write a short (500 word maximum) piece under the theme “Reflections on American Anthropology.” This could be a commentary on one of the workshop panels, or some issue or debate that showed up across multiple panels. The goal should not be a summary of the workshop as a whole, but some original reflection on anthropology, publishing and knowledge production that is clearly linked to the workshop in some fashion. When you have written your piece, submit it to American Anthropologist on the journal’s website (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aman) by February 15, 2012. When asked to categorize your piece by the online system, choose “commentary” (not “research article”). At the discretion of the editor-in-chief, a select number of these pieces will be published under the working title “Reflections on American Anthropology.” This should be an enjoyable way to interact with the workshop and also develop your own thinking about issues raised at the workshop.

For more information, contact aaeditor@uci.edu.