Pre-university anthropology education: where the future of anthropology begins

This introduction to the special section on pre-university anthropology outlines the current context of anthropology teaching and learning in schools. It briefly locates contemporary pre-university anthropology education in historical context, covering the establishment of the International Baccalaureate Social and Cultural Anthropology Programme, the short-lived Anthropology A-Level, the recently established qualifications in anthropology in Scotland, teaching anthropology in social studies in the United States, and the inclusion of anthropology in pre-university and vocational education in Brazil. The introduction summarises some of the key issues raised by the authors in the special section, describing not only the individual cases, experiences, and projects, but particularly the connections between them. It discusses the value of anthropology to the student experience, the development of critical thinking skills, and the importance of cross- and inter-cultural understanding in the contemporary world, as well as some of the national and international initiatives to describe and collate the variety and scope of anthropology teaching and learning taking place in pre-university classrooms around the world. The introduction ends by arguing that teaching anthropology in schools is important for the future of the discipline at undergraduate and graduate levels.