Since the 1950's the Foundation has convened more than 130 symposia on topics of broad interest to anthropology. These symposia involve a small group of invited scholars who meet for intensive discussion and debate.

The Symposia are based on a format that was developed and refined at Burg Wartenstein, the Foundation's European conference center from 1958 to 1980. Today's meetings continue the Burg Wartenstein model and are held at a variety of sites in the U.S. and abroad.

Symposia topics are either initiated by the Foundation or selected from submitted proposals on the basis of the importance and timeliness of the topic, the promise of meaningful exchange among scholars representing diverse perspectives and fields, and the potential for opening up new approaches to significant problems. Symposia are administered and fully supported (both financially and logistically) by the Foundation.

Wenner-Gren International Symposia have resulted in a number of landmark volumes, including Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Earth (1956); Background to Evolution in Africa (1967); Cloth and Human Experience (1989); and Tools, Language, and Cognition in Human Evolution (1993). Since 2000 the symposia have been published in The Wenner-Gren International Symposium Series (Berg Publishers). During her tenure as President of the Foundation (1986-1999), Sydel Silverman documented the International Symposia and published a detailed ethnographic study “The Beast on the Table: Conferencing with Anthropologists” which offers a distinct perspective on this signature program.

Format of the International Symposia
How to Submit a Proposal for a Symposia
Wenner-Gren International Symposium Series (with Berg): 2002 - Present
International Symposia 2000 - Present
International Symposia 1990 - 1999
International Symposia 1980 - 1989