Birmingham's Department of African Studies and Anthropology welcomed ASA delegates from across the UK to our campus for four days of panels and presentations.
The Association of Social Anthropologists 2025 conference took place at the University of Birmingham from 8 - 11 April 2025. The conference theme was 'Critical Junctions: Anthropology on the Move'. Over 460 delegates attended for four days of panels and presentations. Dr Anthony Pickles, our ASA Conference Liaison Officer, said of the event: "The ASA conference has been the centrepiece of UK anthropology for over 50 years. As a member of the ASA Committee and an assistant professor at UoB’s Department of African Studies and Anthropology, I was immensely proud to showcase the anthropological community we have built at Birmingham to 500 leading anthropologists from the UK and far beyond.
"Brilliant panels, heavy-hitting events, inspiring architecture, friendly and dedicated volunteers, and unforgettable moments on the dance floor of Joe’s bar, along with brilliant weather, made for a highly successful conference. I lost track of how many times people stopped me to say how much they were enjoying it.”
Professor William Purkis addresses visitors of the Association of Social Anthropologists 2025 conference
Many of our academic staff participated in the conference, including Dr Jessica Johnson, who reflected on the opportunities it offered, saying: "I co-convened a panel on collaboration, co-authorship and co-production with Paloma Gay y Blasco from St Andrews University. The conference gave me an opportunity to work with Paloma for the first time, having long admired her work. We had a great response to our call for papers, filling three of the conference panel slots, so it was like a conference within a conference!
"Lots of delegates were interested in the theme of collaboration; we had busy sessions and very lively discussions, which spilled out into the sunshine at the end of the day. We are now discussing venues for a Special Issue to publish the papers and build on the momentum of the conference."
The conference also engaged colleagues from different academic disciplines, including Dr Luis-Manuel Garcia-Mispireta, Associate Professor in Ethnomusicology and Popular Music Studies, who reflected on the conference by saying: "As an ethnomusicologist who was trained primarily in North American cultural anthropology, getting involved in the ASA gave me invaluable opportunities to build networks with social anthropologists. I was thrilled to moderate and help organise the plenary keynote panel on Stuart Hall.
"The panel offered an opportunity to familiarise anthropologists with the work of Hall as well as with the legacy of UoB’s Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. Perhaps the most memorable role I played at ASA was helping to organise the closing dinner & dance party for the conference. We featured Levantine food as well as two local DJs specialising in Middle Eastern dance music. It was a delight to draw upon my experience as a DJ and nightlife event organiser to help bring this event together!"
Assistant Professor in Social Anthropology
Biographical information for Dr Anthony Pickles, Department of African Studies and Anthropology, University of Birmingham
Associate Professor in Social Anthropology and African Studies
Biographical information for Dr Jessica Johnson, Senior Lecturer in the Anthropology of Africa, Department of African Studies and Anthropology, University of Birmingham
Associate Professor in Ethnomusicology and Popular Music Studies
Biographical and contact information for Dr Luis-Manuel Garcia, Associate Professor in Ethnomusicology and Popular Music Studies at the University of Birmingham.
