The anthropology of outer space: Russian field research in the context of new anthropological inquiries. Introduction to the Special Theme sectio

The first part of the introduction gives an overview of the history and development of the anthropology of outer space internationally, including major events, key authors and topics, as well as current trends in this area of scholarly inquiry. The authors link research in the contemporary anthropology of outer space to the development of space technology after World War II, the competition of space superpowers and other states' attempts to catch up, as well as to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Since the early twenty first century, the field has been interested in the so-called New Space movement represented by grassroots entrepreneurs that seek to explore outer space economically, politically and culturally, beyond the framework of state-funded programmes and affiliated space corporations. The second part of the introduction presents the Special Theme Section articles, their underlying studies, methodological approaches and research results. The concluding part shows how the anthropology of outer space is associated with a number of important current trends in anthropology.

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