Globalization of research and international standards of ethics in anthropology.

Ethics and anthropology have entered the era of globalization, and professional discourse about ethics can no longer be confined to a national or domestic dialogue. Anthropology must vigorously join the international dialogue and debate over globalization and the conduct of research across cultures; indeed it is the discipline most suited to command the high ground in this discourse. American anthropology historically has been more reactive than proactive in ethics, but cannot remain so as the nature and condition of research have fundamentally changed in a postcolonial world. Indigenous peoples, Third World researchers, international development workers in government and non-government agencies, and other anthropologists outside of the U.S. are raising questions about international research that are generating new standards of conduct. Anthropology as a discipline and a profession must keep apace with these developments or it will lose ground in a crucial arena of global discourse.