Margaret Jolly is one of several contributors to this special issue of the Human Condition/Political Conditions: International Journal of Political Anthropology, entitled ‘Beyond Political Anthropology. She begins her article, Power and the Politics of Anthropology, with what political anthropology means for her and how she understands anthropology and politics (or the political). She speaks to her early work in the Pacific region that focused on gender relations and power as well as her current work. As a transdisciplinary scholar of gender and Pacific Studies, Jolly has tried to sustain a position that connects intellectual and public debate.