The SfAA was founded in 1941 and has maintained its status as an important resource for practicing and academic anthropologists alike.
The SfAA also publishes The Classics of Practicing Anthropology; Human Rights: The Scholar as Activist - a special volume exploring how scholars can become advocates against human rights violations; and a curated volume of essays honoring Malinowski Award recipients.
The journal publishes articles that examine and apply methods and theories of anthropology as solutions to problems facing the contemporary world.
The journal is driven by its contributors who are encouraged to submit special issues as well as individual research articles for publication.
The SfAA hosts its annual meeting with a number of co-sponsoring professional organizations that have similar goals.
Malinowski was a leading advocate for the application of anthropological methods to address the world's problems.
Malinowski argued that "must advocate for native populations, involve themselves in policy matters and politics, and research contemporary social issues".