Anticipatory Anthropology and the Telemicroelectronic Revolution: A Preliminary Report From Silicon Valley

Abstract

The proposal is made that an anticipatory dimension to anthropology should be developed for the purposes of increasing anthropology's capacity to: (1) explain sociocultural change, and (2) contribute to the making of effective proactive public policy. Anticipatory anthropology is needed particularly for the study of rapid change processes, often technology‐driven, such as the Telemicroelectronic Revolution. Steps in the ongoing development of anticipatory anthropology are illustrated by a quasi‐ethnographic study of the introduction of microcomputers into schools near Silicon Valley, California. ANTICIPATORY ANTHROPOLOGY; COMPUTERS; EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY; FUTURES RESEARCH; POLICY‐MAKING.