Public anthropology was created by Robert Borofsky, a professor at Hawaii Pacific University, to "demonstrate the ability of anthropology and anthropologists to effectively address problems beyond the discipline – illuminating larger social issues of our times as well as encouraging broad, public conversations about them with the explicit goal of fostering social change".
pˈʌblɪk ˌænθɹəpˈɑːlədʒi wʌz kɹiːˈeɪɾᵻd baɪ ɹˈɑːbɚt boːɹˈɑːfski, ɐ pɹəfˈɛsɚɹ æt həwˈaɪiː pɐsˈɪfɪk jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi, tuː "dˈɛmənstɹˌeɪt ðɪ ɐbˈɪləɾi ʌv ˌænθɹəpˈɑːlədʒi ænd ˌænθɹəpˈɑːlədʒˌɪsts tʊ ɪfˈɛktɪvli ɐdɹˈɛs pɹˈɑːbləmz bᵻjˌɔnd ðə dˈɪsɪplˌɪn ɪlˈuːmᵻnˌeɪɾɪŋ lˈɑːɹdʒɚ sˈoʊʃəl ˈɪʃuːz ʌv ˌaʊɚ tˈaɪmz æz wˈɛl æz ɛŋkˈɜːɹɪdʒɪŋ bɹˈɔːd, pˈʌblɪk kɑːnvɚsˈeɪʃənz ɐbˌaʊt ðˌɛm wɪððɪ ɛksplˈɪsɪt ɡˈoʊl ʌv fˈɑːstɚɹɪŋ sˈoʊʃəl tʃˈeɪndʒ".