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“The world needs anthropologists!” This statement provided the starting point of a symposium held in Amsterdam on November 29, 2013, about the relevance of anthropological knowledge and skills in the world outside academia. The seminar was organized by the Social and Cultural Anthropology department of VU University, Amsterdam, in cooperation with the EASA Applied Anthropology network, the University of Ljubljana, the Dutch Anthropologists Organization (ABV), and the Institute for Innovation and Development of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The ‘Soeterijn zaal ’ of the ‘Tropenmuseum’, part of the ‘Royal Tropical Institute‘, provided the venue for this international gathering. Three anthropologists in heart and soul gave passionate talks about their work in the world of big corporations and organisations. The symposium was completed with a panel session followed by a discussion which ended in a heated debate about ethics. The meeting concluded with a clear statement that the world does not just need anthropologists; the world needs anthropological thinking to be applied.
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