Members of both sections share an interest in how humans shape and are shaped by their environment. All of the papers, with the exception of Sullivan's and Paolisso's were presented at the 1998 Applied Anthropology meetings in a PESO-sponsored session entitled Advocating the Environment.
Advocacy comes in many colors.
Anthropological research on environmental and social justice organizations has contributed to the understanding of this type of advocacy. Furthermore, the possibility of anthropologists acting in this capacity has given rise to a kind of self-analysis, and an exploration about the role of anthropology as a social science. It is a growing concern in environmental anthropology given anthropologists position in relation to, and knowledge of, social groups disenfranchised due to either environmental degradation or preservation. Advocacy can sometimes be hidden under the mantle of scientific neutrality. Every policy researcher knows that science, as a legitimating discourse, is appropriated by interested parties to further their positions.