Action anthropology is an approach that seeks to develop the understanding of social and cultural life while helping communities address the challenges they face. In contrast to applied anthropology, when seeking to help the communities with whom they work, action anthropologists facilitate the communities' own decision making about what actions should be taken to address those challenges rather than implementing decisions made outside of the community or for the community by the anthropologist. In seeking new theoretical understanding, action anthropologists work on problems identified in collaboration with communities, rather than only pursuing questions that emerge independently from social theory, in contrast to basic research. Action anthropology originated in the work of Sol Tax and his students in the Fox Project, conducted with the Meskwaki Indians in the 1950s. It has since been used with communities throughout the world to promote social change and develop anthropological theory.