Orientation and Training in Government for Work Overseas

This article deals with orientation and training from an anthropological point of view. While it is not possible to cover the field, or even refer to some programs, five years' experience on the Washington scene provides both a charter to speak and a significant period around which to build a summary. The training picture is an exceedingly complex one; it is also one in which anthropologists have played a significantly minor role. (Note: Orientation and training as used in this article refer only to those aspects of these activities as applied to the preparation of personnel for the culture contact situation). That the anthropologist has had so little to do with training is not solely due to the low prestige of Government work, nor to our general lack of interest in this field. The fact that we have not been actively sought after bears examination. One of the largest Washington bureaucracies whose concern is almost entirely with overseas work does not have one anthropologist on its staff.