Reflections on the Value of Anthropology for Understanding Population Processes

Daniel Jordan Smith

Population and Development Review, 2025, vol. 51, issue 1, 575-596

Abstract: In this commentary—written to celebrate, but also evaluate, the relationship between anthropology and demography at the 50th anniversary of the journal—I focus on the insights gained and the challenges posed by applying anthropological theory and utilizing ethnographic methods in population studies. Population and Development Review has been the venue of choice for many anthropologists because it has consistently recognized and welcomed the contributions of ethnographic research. Further, the journal has provided a forum for critical engagement between anthropology and demography, publishing research findings that illustrate the benefits of this engagement as well as commentaries that acknowledge, examine, and assess the sometimes‐difficult relationship between the two disciplines. To showcase the possibilities anthropology offers for understanding puzzles central to demographic inquiry, I draw special attention to research and scholarship focused on Africa's fertility transition.

Date: 2025
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