Annual General Meeting and Curl Lecture. The 2003 AGM will be held at 5.00pm on Wednesday 17 September, in the Assembly Hall G2, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh St, London WC1. All are welcome; only RAI Fellows may vote. During the AGM a Special Resolution will be presented for amendment of the RAI's Memorandum and Articles of Association to allow the management of the Institute's investments to be delegated to a professional investment manager. For the detailed AGM agenda and Special Resolution, please see the insert included in this mailing of AT.

Following the AGM, at approximately 6.00pm, the 2003 Curl Lecture will be given by Dr Ruth Mace of the Department of Anthropology, University College London. Dr Mace's title is 'The evolution of sexism'. All are welcome; refreshments will be served afterwards.

Annual Report. The Annual Report for 2002 has been published and is being sent to Fellows with this issue of AT.

Rivers Memorial Medal. The Rivers Memorial Medal is awarded annually at Council's discretion for a recent body of work which, as a whole, makes a significant contribution to the discipline. We are pleased to announce that the 2003 medal has been awarded to Professor Robert Layton of the University of Durham. It is expected that the medal will be presented during the AGM on 17 September.

Special Lectures in 2004. Council has made the following elections:

Huxley Memorial Lecturer and Medallist: Professor Dame Marilyn Strathern FBA, William Wyse Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge;

Henry Myers Lecturer: Professor Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Professor of the History of Religions, University of Chicago.

Eighth RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Film. The highly successful festival took place on 4-6 July at the University of Durham, co-hosted by the Department of Anthropology and Institute of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. The number and quality of films submitted for screening in and out of competition set new records. A high point of the festival was its inauguration by the RAI's royal patron, HRH the Duke of Gloucester, during a half-day visit in which he was also able to meet Durham civic leaders and members of local communities (including schoolchildren). We wish to thank the host departments, the university and the many individuals whose combined efforts made for the festival's success. Please see the separate listing of prizewinners in this issue of AT.

Leach-RAI Fellowship. The first Leach-RAI Fellowship of the new round, to be hosted by the Department of Anthropology, University of Sussex, from 2003-2006, has been awarded to Dr Konstantinos Retsikas. Dr Retsikas has recently received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh for a thesis entitled 'People of mixed blood: Ethnicity, personhood and sociality in East Java, Indonesia'.

Fellowships in Urgent Anthropology. We are pleased to announce that the University of Durham will continue to host the RAI Fellowships in Urgent Anthropology for a further two years to 2006, with the likelihood of extension to 2007 subject to finance. The next Fellowship (for 2004-5) will be advertised shortly in AT and elsewhere.

Firth Funds Tikopia Appeal. The Appeal raised £5000, of which the Association of Social Anthropologists, London School of Economics and RAI contributed £1000 each from the Firth family funds held by them, the remainder being made up from individual donations. Conditions in the Solomon Islands are very unsettled at present, and we are holding the money until a safe way of giving it to the people of Tikopia can be found. The Appeal is now closed, with grateful thanks to all who contributed.

Office and library closures. The RAI office will be closed from Monday 18 to Monday 25 August inclusive. The Anthropology Library will close on Friday 12 September for approximately six months; it will reopen in the former State Papers Room of the British Museum in March/April 2004 (this date may be subject to change). All Junior fellows are required to return books taken out on loan by 12 September. Any further information or change to the plans will be posted in AT and on the RAI website. The Library reading room can be contacted at anthropologylibrary@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk.

June 2003

International Festival of Ethnographic Film: Visit of the RAI's Royal Patron. We are pleased to announce that the RAI's Royal Patron, HRH the Duke of Gloucester KG, GCVO, will formally open the Institute's Eighth International Festival of Ethnographic Film at the University of Durham on Friday 4 July 2003. See announcement and registration details in this issue of AT.

Annual General Meeting and Special Lectures. As reported in previous issues of AT, the date of the AGM will move permanently from June to September each year. This year's AGM will be held at 5.00 pm on Wednesday 17 September, in the Assembly Hall G2, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh St, London WC1. All are welcome; only RAI Fellows may vote. The detailed programme of the AGM will be sent to Fellows with the August 2003 issue of AT; and will be advertised on the RAI website. The Annual Report for 2002 will also be sent to Fellows with the August issue of AT. We urge all who are able to do so to attend the AGM and participate in the affairs of the Institute.

Immediately after the AGM, the Curl Lecture for 2003 will be given by Dr Ruth Mace of the Department of Anthropology, University College London. Dr Mace's title is 'The evolution of sexism'. All are welcome; refreshments will be served.

The Huxley Memorial Lecturer and Medallist for 2003 is Professor Gananath Obeyesekere, Professor of Anthropology Emeritus, Princeton University. His lecture, entitled 'Cannibal talk: Dialogical misunderstandings in the South Seas', will be given on Tuesday 15 July at 6.00 pm in the Federal Theatre 1, Crawford House, Manchester University, during the Decennial Conference of the Association of Social Anthropologists. All are welcome; refreshments will be served afterwards.

Strategic Review. The Working Group conducting the RAI's Strategic Review presented its final report to the RAI Council on 26 March. Details will be published later in the year.

Firth Funds Tikopia Appeal. We expect to close the Appeal in June and disburse the funds raised to the people of Tikopia soon afterwards. Details will be published as soon as possible. The RAI, ASA and LSE wish to thank all who sent donations for their generosity.

Office and Library closures. The RAI office will be closed from Monday 18 to Monday 25 August inclusive. The Anthropology Library (formerly Museum of Mankind Library) will be closing on Friday 12 September 2003 for approximately 6 months; it will re-open in the former State Papers Room of the British Museum in March/April 2004 (this date might be subject to change). All Junior Fellows will be required to return books taken out on loan by 12 September. Any further information or changes to this plan will be posted in AT nearer the closure date. The Reading Room can be contacted at: anthropologylibrary@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk.

Informal RAI open meeting during ASA Decennial Conference, Manchester, lunchtime, Friday 18 July, after the Conference closing session. Arrangements to be confirmed. All welcome, whether or not affiliated to the RAI. Those attending will have an opportunity to express opinions on RAI activities across the board in the context of the current Strategic Review. Details to be posted on the RAI website in June.

April 2003

Annual General Meeting and Special Lectures As reported in AT 19(1), the date of the AGM will move permanently from June to September each year. This year's AGM will be held on Wednesday 17 September; venue and time to be confirmed. All are welcome; only RAI Fellows may vote. The detailed programme of the AGM will be sent to Fellows with the August 2003 issue of AT, and will be advertised on the RAI website. We urge all who are able to do so to attend the AGM and participate in the affairs of the Institute.

Immediately after the AGM, the Curl Lecture for 2003 will be given by Dr Ruth Mace of the Department of Anthropology, University College London. Dr Mace's title is 'The evolution of sexism'. All are welcome; refreshments will be served afterwards.

The Huxley Memorial Lecturer and Medallist for 2003 is Professor Gananath Obeyesekere, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Princeton University. His lecture, entitled 'Cannibal talk: Dialogical misunderstandings in the South Seas', will be given on Tuesday 15 July at 6.00pm in the Federal Theatre 1, Crawford House, Manchester University, during the Decennial Conference of the Association of Social Anthropologists. All are welcome; refreshments will be served afterwards.

Firth Funds Tikopia Appeal. Please see the February 2003 issue of AT for full details of the Appeal, launched jointly in January by the RAI, Association of Social Anthropologists and LSE as the three holders of the Firth Fund. There has already been a strong response to the appeal from individual anthropologists and others associated with Raymond Firth's life and work, and contributions continue to be invited. The appeal will remain open until the end of May. A small steering committee has been set up to oversee disbursement of the money donated. If you wish to contribute, please send your cheque, made out to the Royal Anthropological Institute (not to the Appeal) to the Director at the RAI address, clearly identifying your gift as intended for the Firth Funds Tikopia Appeal. If you are a UK taxpayer, please include your name and address. We will send you, together with an acknowledgment of your donation, a gift aid form which will enable us to reclaim basic-rate tax, thus increasing the value of your gift to the Appeal. The RAI can receive donations by cheque only. Credit card donations can be made to the ASA (but without the benefit of gift aid). Further information from admin@theasa.org.

Library closure. The closure dates for the Library's move to the British Museum's main site at Bloomsbury have not been announced as yet. We will keep readers informed through AT and the website.

The RAI Photographic Committee invites RAI fellows to submit fieldwork photographs for inclusion in the RAI Annual Report 2002. Up to four photographs may be submitted by each Fellow, and the deadline is 28 April 2003. For further information please contact Arkadiusz Bentkowski by or telephone the RAI Photo Library: +44 (0)207 387 0455.

February 2003

Firth Funds Tikopia Appeal. Readers of AT will be aware of the 360-kph cyclone which struck Tikopia and Anuta at the end of December. Although there was no loss of life, destruction on the islands has been massive, and the local economy and environment will require immense reconstruction.

The late Professor Sir Raymond Firth played an important role in recovery when a similar disaster struck Tikopia 50 years ago. Through his generosity during his lifetime and in his will, the RAI, Association of Social Anthropologists and LSE hold funds associated with the Firth family. In consultation with Hugh Firth, Raymond's son, the three Firth Fund holders are launching a joint appeal for Tikopia with initial contributions from the funds. Through contacts close to Tikopia, we have established that it will be possible to make a gift directly to the Tikopian community from the anthropological community in the UK and internationally

We invite contributions from AT readers to the appeal. If you wish to contribute, please send your cheque, made out to the Royal Anthropological Institute, to the Director at the RAI address, clearly identifying your gift as intended for the Firth Fund's Tikopia Appeal.

If you are a UK taxpayer, please include your name and address. We will send you, together with an acknowledgment of your donation, a gift aid form which will enable us to reclaim basic-rate tax, thus increasing the value of your gift to the appeal.

The RAI can receive donations by cheque only. Credit card payments to the Appeal can be made directly to the ASA (but without the benefit of gift aid). ASA members are being separately informed by email of this procedure. Information can be obtained from admin@theasa.org.

RAI Strategic Review. The Committee appointed by Council in 2001 to conduct a strategic review of the Institute's operations presented its draft report at the Council meeting of 4 December 2002. Following the guidance provided by Council, the Committee will continue its work and hopes to finalize its report and recommendations in the early part of 2003. Meanwhile, on the Committee's recommendation the following decisions have been taken:

Council will now meet twice a year, in March and September, instead of four times per year. This should relieve pressure on Council members and allow Council to concentrate on the most important issues and decisions.

A small Steering Committee, appointed by Council and accountable to it, will meet more frequently and consult by email as necessary. The Steering Committee will deal with routine business not requiring the attention of the full Council, and also with urgent decisions that cannot wait for the next Council meeting. Minutes of the Steering Committee will be distributed to all Council members.

From 2003, the Annual General Meeting will be moved from June to September. The new timing should make it easier in future for Fellows and Members to attend the AGM, and will also facilitate the preparation of the previous year's accounts and Annual Report. There will be no change to the RAI's financial and membership year, which will remain the calendar year as at present. Notice will be given of the September 2003 AGM as soon as possible.

The above changes are compliant with the Institute's Articles of Association and with Charity Commission rules.

Library closure. It is expected that the Library will relocate during 2003 from Burlington Gardens to the former State Papers Room at the British Museum's main site in Bloomsbury. This will make possible a much improved service to all Library readers and borrowers. The Library will however have to close for a period while the move takes place. The Library staff and RAI apologize in advance to Fellows and other users for the inevitable inconvenience. Closure dates are not yet known, but we will give as much advance notice as possible through AT and the website.

RAI-sponsored books. In the August 2002 issue of AT we reported the successful launch of The best of Anthropology Today, edited by Jonathan Benthall and published by Routledge. We are pleased to announce that Exotic no more, edited by Jeremy MacClancy and published in 2002 by Chicago University Press in cooperation with the RAI, is proving to be a parallel success. Sales figures for the first six months are buoyant, and the indications are that as well as appealing to a broad readership, the book is being widely adopted in US university courses this year. This is an encouraging sign of the growth of interest in the contribution of anthropology to issues of broad public concern.

Lucy Mair Medal for Applied Anthropology. The RAI invites nominations for the 2003 Lucy Mair Medal for Applied Anthropology. The Medal is intended to honour excellence in the application of anthropology to the relief of poverty and distress, and to the active recognition of human dignity. Individuals should not apply on their own behalf, but any Fellow or Member of the Institute is invited to send a nomination for consideration by the Medal Committee, which will make a recommendation to the RAI Council. The Committee is also empowered to search actively for a candidate for the Medal; and may recommend that the medal not be awarded in any year. The Medal may be awarded at any stage in a person's career, but is intended to recognize sustained and effective work. While it is not intended to recognize contributions to anthropological theory as such, anthropologists who have made a contribution to theory as well as to applied anthropology are not thereby excluded from consideration. The Medal Committee may consider not only a nominee's publications, but also such work as practical advice to governments and voluntary organizations. Nominees may be of any nationality or residence. Nominations should be sent to the Director at the RAI address by 31 March 2003. They should be rigorously argued and accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation.