Phenomenological Anthropology: An Introduction to the Field
Despite influencing dozens of scientific disciplines, phenomenology has not provided the philosophical foundations for scientific inquiry that Edmund Husserl hoped for. What role, then, does phenomenology play outside of philosophy? How do researchers in other disciplines use phenomenology? And what value does it add to their research? In this presentation, I consider how phenomenology has been incorporated into anthropology. I show how anthropologists use phenomenological theory, methods, and concepts to inform how they devise research questions, conduct fieldwork, and analyze qualitative data. Finally, I consider why this anthropological research has had little reciprocal influence on philosophy.

This presentation will constitute one chapter of a book, A Multidisciplinary Introduction to Phenomenology, which introduces how phenomenology is used in eight different disciplines across the psychological, social, and health sciences, as well as art and design. The research is based not only on an extensive review of the relevant literature, but also on interviews conducted with researchers from each discipline.

Anthony Vincent Fernandez is an Assistant Professor of Applied Philosophy at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics and a Fellow at the Danish Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Southern Denmark.