The problem of demarcation consists in formulating the criteria that distinguish scientific from non-scientific knowledge. Although this problem integrates multiple disciplines, the social sciences are the least discussed —among them, anthropology. However, the works of Mario Bunge are an exception. Although most of his work covers the physical and natural sciences, Bunge devoted multiple texts to the social sciences. In relation to anthropology, Bunge proposed a definition that highlights its main epistemological and methodological features, recognizing it as a “basic science”. This allowed him to develop the demarcation problem by filling his void with respect to anthropology. Analyzing the literature on both domains, this paper synthesizes the Bungean work on anthropology according to the problem of demarcation in order to build bridges between two fields of knowledge that deser...

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are one of the most significant school performance strategies. Yet, most of the schools that have applied them belong to high-performance educational systems, such as those of Japan, South Korea, Finland or Singapore, leaving out the educational reality of Latin America. Through an exploratory study based on ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews, this research links theory to practice to discuss the applicability of PLC to public schools in low-performance educational systems. In conclusion, it was found that the main components of PLCs (flexible organizational structures, distributed leadership, shared values, and collaborative school cultures) are present but precarious and do not support the implementation of the strategy.

Since the late 1980s, pedagogy has taken a paradigm shift. Once based on indi-vidualistic and hierarchical strategies, currently defends its reflective and colla-borative nature. Originated in business management, professional learning communities have shown a positive impact in educational management. Through an exhaustive literature review, this research synthesizes the theory of professional learning communities, analyzing their main components: flexible organizational structure, shared leadership, organizational values, shared vision and collaborative school culture. Finally, the research suggests that the development of organizational strategies focused on the school could complement the work carried out through educational policies.

Different from typical cases of corporate crime, organizational corruption refers to corrupt behavior whose main beneficiary is not the individual but the organization. Through a literature review, this article aims to understand organizational corruption from a scheme that recognizes its main mechanisms (socialization, normalization, and rationalization) and features (linked to elements such as structure, leadership, business ethics, organizational culture, and national culture). By way of contribution, this article proposes a theoretical framework that allows a qualitative understanding of the mechanisms and organizational features that make organizational corruption possible. Likewise, as a purpose, this article indicates that a qualitative understanding will allow the design of anti-corruption policies that recognize its inherent complexity.

Ideally, the purpose of a personnel selection process is to find the best candidate for a job through correspondence between their labor competencies and the culture of the organization (cultural fit). For this, many evaluators analyze the personality of the applicants using psychological techniques, competency-based interviews, among other tools. However, despite referring to it, this approach neglects an important element of the equation: culture. From an anthropological perspective, culture not only defines the nature of a nation or an organization, but also another main component for personnel selection: labor competencies. Considering the available evidence, this research presents three contributions that organizational anthropology can provide to personnel selection so that it is capable of capturing the culture to which it appeals: participant observation, ethnography and ethnogra...

Reach of the review: This essay conducts a review of the gender gap in STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and analyzes its main studies. Period of the publications reviewed: The studies considered cover from 2005 to 2019. Origin and types of documents reviewed: Most of the literature consists of articles published in international indexed journals of sociology, psychology, gender and education. Author’s contribution on the publications analyzed: The authors propose a typification that organizes studies on the gender gap in STEM careers according to the three types of expla- nation they provide: a) psychological explanation: which emphasizes the individual’s instance and explains the gap in terms of self-concept, self-confidence and self-efficacy, beliefs and perceptions, and differences in interests and preferences: b) sociocultural explanation: which em...

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many organizations to resort to teleworking. This strategy had multiple positive and negative effects on areas such as job satisfaction, productivity and communication. One area affected was the most important element of any organization: its culture. To understand this issue, this article reviews studies published in the last four years that have analyzed the link between organizational culture and post-pandemic teleworking. A reciprocal impact has been identified: teleworking affects the culture of organizations, which in turn affects how organizations adapt to teleworking. By way of conclusion, the article highlights several findings, limitations and recommendations reported in the literature and stresses the importance of knowing the organization’s culture before adapting it to teleworking.

Desde su origen hasta mediados del siglo pasado, la antropología fue considerada una ciencia. No obstante, desde los años 70, algunos enfoques teóricos han cuestionado tal propiedad. Por su impacto, actualmente gran parte de la comunidad académica no solo cuestiona el estatus científico de la antropología, sino que además lo niega, acercándola a las humanidades. La falta de estudios apropiados complica el tema. Para superar tal brecha, esta tesis tiene por objetivo demostrar el carácter científico de la antropología. Para ello, se analiza el problema de la demarcación entre ciencia y no-ciencia (destacando su postura sobre la antropología), se discute las perspectivas de los antropólogos sobre la cientificidad de su disciplina y se analiza la metodología de la antropología y sus productos (hipótesis o teorías) de acuerdo con el modelo Bunge-Mahner. De manera complementa...

Analiza la influencia de la cultura en la evolución humana según la THD. Se emplea el método de investigación de revisión sistemática de literatura.