Contributions from anthropology to the study of alcoholism. Overview.

Beginning in the 1950s, we have witnessed a continual acceleration of research activities by anthropologists in the alcohol field. Currently, a substantial number of anthropologists are conducting creative, productive, and eclectic field studies having to do with alcohol use, abuse, and treatment. This overview of this section provides evidence for the proliferation of interest in alcohol research by anthropologists through reports on recent publications, organizational activities, symposia on alcohol topics, and collaborative efforts between anthropologists and colleagues in other fields. Certain themes characterizing the increase in research activities are proposed: the interdisciplinary nature of many anthropology projects and the cross-fertilization of research methods. Each chapter in the section is introduced and placed within the overall context of contemporary alcohol research in anthropology. The overview concludes with a recommendation to expand the role of anthropology in international cross-cultural studies of alcohol.