Socio-cultural anthropology and alcohol and drug research: towards a unified theory

The arrival of the millennium has understandably created a growing tendency for social commentators to evaluate the current state of the world, assess prior developments and suggest new and enlightened ways forward. In this t ime of re-appraisals, we assess the current state of the anthropology of al cohol and drug research, consider its early history, examine the range and theoretical underpinnings of work done today, and propose the elements of a possible future model. In formulating the model, we have borrowed from a n umber of different theoretical approaches and insights not only from anthro pological discussions of alcohol and drug issues but also from anthropologi cal research outside these arenas. In examining these issues, and as a way of attempting to answer the question - where has the field come from and wh ere is it heading - we situate anthropological contributions to this area n ot merely within the wider contest of anthropological thought and research, but more importantly within a wider social and political context that take s account of the organizational, funding and conceptual influences, constra ints and pressures that operate on anthropologists who wish to conduct rese arch on alcohol and drug issues. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.