Moving Anthropology Student Network
MASN (Moving Anthropology Student Network) is an independent association and open platform to connect and create. The term 'student' should be understood in a broader sense, with it, the network is open for all those who are interested in social and cultural anthropology, who like to share their experience and promote a mutual learning process. Initiated in 2005 as a network of and for students from all over the world, today it brings students and professionals together through the annual MASN conferences, which every year are hosted by a different country and group of people. The idea is to forge the exchange of knowledge and experience on a face-to-face basis as much as through its presence in the World Wide Web, which includes a homepage with space for discussion, an event calendar and also posting possibilities.
Since the very beginning, the initiators of MASN aimed to keep the development of the network as open as possible to guarantee unlimited movement of people and ideas by providing space for its dynamics to evolve into many different directions. Today MASN is connecting several hundred anthropologists and people interested in anthropological issues from more than 60 countries. It is considered to be an open platform following a bottom-up approach. The homepage with its interest groups are understood as virtual connection tools offering open discussions and information forums to its members, which not only support, but define the network.
Conferences
Apart from the ongoing interactions in the virtual space, the MASN Conferences are central for this network. Organized in its entirety by local MASN groups, they focus on providing the ground for face-to-face interaction among the participants. Presentations, roundtables, workshops and fringe events often elaborate on works in progress, final projects, methodological approaches, academic cultures from different angles and perspectives.
The previous nine MASN Conferences were held all over Europe: Austria, Croatia (2x), Poland (2x), Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Ireland. Paper reviews, accommodation, side programmes, funding, were coordinated by ‘young scholars’ for ‘young scholars’ without any established hierarchical structures.
1st MASN-Conference "Connecting Europe - Transcending Borders"
- 03. - 06. November 2005, Ottenstein, Austria
2nd MASN Conference "Anthropology in Action"
- 08. - 12. November 2006, Opatija, Croatia
3rd MASN Conference "Acting upon Reality:",
- 18. - 22. April 2007, Łopuszna, Poland
4th MASN Conference "Exploring Anthropology: Perspectives on Interactions, Changes & Challenges",
- 07. - 11. November 2007, Blaubeuren, Germany
5th MASN Conference "Empowering Anthropology"
- 04. - 09. May 2008, Siena, Italy
6th MASN conference “Boundaries, Borders and Frontiers”,
- 19. - 24. August 2008, Osilnica, Slovenia
7th MASN Conference "Human rights and ethics in antropological perspective":
- 24.-28. March 2010, Krzyżowa, Poland
8th MASN Conference "Anthropological Trajectories":
- 20. - 22. August 2010, Maynooth, Ireland
9th MASN Conference "What Are We Doing?":
- 2. - 6. May 2011, Ludbreg, Croatia
10th MASN Conference "Being Consciousness - from Knowledge and Knowing to Consciousness":
- 6. - 10. June 2012, Kautzen, Austria
References
Hirschfeld, Benjamin: Das Moving Anthropology Student Network oder „Der Blick Über Den Eigenen Tellerrand“. Cargo Zeitschrift für Ethnologie. Cargo No. 27 - CARGO 2.0. Halle, April 2007, pp. 35–37. --> link
Hirschfeld, Benjamin; Pasieka, Agnieszka; Reinberg, Niko; Volesky, Shawn: The Moving Anthropology Student Network — MASN. In: EASA-Newsletter 44, July 2007, pp. 11–13. Easa Newsletter (External)
Höll, Andreas; Zemmerich, Falko: Das Moving Anthropology Student Network (MASN). Ethnologik, Herbst/Winter 2007, pp. 28–34. --> link