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American scholars alarmed by controversial education bill

Published on September 1, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, politics, University / Academia

National Catholic Reporter

American scholars are alarmed by a controversial education bill that would increase government monitoring of federally funded programs in international studies at colleges and universities.

Backers of the bill say it will help restore balance to Middle East studies programs, which they say are overly critical of Israel and of U.S. policy in the Middle East. Opponents say the bill could lead to intrusive investigations of faculty and will undermine the credibility of American scholarship.

The proposed board would have the authority “to study, monitor, apprise and evaluate a sample of activities” to ensure that programs represent “diverse perspectives.”

Although the legislation was born out of the polarized debate about Middle East studies, it will apply to a variety of other academic programs related to international studies, including the study and research of modern languages, area studies and anthropology. >> continue

National Catholic Reporter

American scholars are alarmed by a controversial education bill that would increase government monitoring of federally funded programs in international studies at colleges and universities.

Backers of the bill say it will help restore balance to Middle East studies…

American Ethnologist: Book Reviews in Full-Text!

Published on August 24, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, books, Open Access Anthropology and Knowledge Sharing

You’re not allowed to read their articles, but American Ethnologist’s book reviews are available for the general public! >> continue

Currently, the American Ethnologist seems to reorganize its homepage and plans to add some interactive features like forums and blogs. >> continue

You're not allowed to read their articles, but American Ethnologist's book reviews are available for the general public! >> continue

Currently, the American Ethnologist seems to reorganize its homepage and plans to add some interactive features like forums and blogs.…

Olympic Games: ‘Great Fun for Savages’

Published on August 15, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, history, indigenous people / minorities, Us and Them

The Globe and Mail

One hundred years ago, three Ainu couples, a lone male and two young girls travelled to the United States to take part in a living exhibit arranged for the crowds at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. They lived in a large thatched hut on the fairgrounds, part of a global village in which peoples from around the world — called the primitives — were on display.

In a run-up to the third Olympiad being held in conjunction with the world fair, U.S. officials organized something called Anthropology Days. “Hairy Ainus” were pitted against “savage Zulus” and other aboriginals in sporting contests to determine strength and speed. Anthropology Days was organized by the heads of the anthropology and physical education departments of the world exposition. The idea was to test the popular notion that “the average savage was fleet of foot, strong of limb, accurate with the bow and arrow and expert in throwing the stone.” The two-day contest was held in mid-August when many scientists were attending the fair.

The crown jewel was a 47-acre site organized by the U.S. government to display the conquered peoples of the Philippines, the newest American possession acquired during the recently concluded Spanish-American War. An homage to imperialism, the exhibit was designed to show how America would bring progress to savage peoples. >>continue

The Globe and Mail

Anthropologists dig into business

Published on August 10, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, applied anthropology, corporate & business anthropology

Mercury News

For a summer, Dev Patnaik and his team of researchers hung out with teens preparing to go away to college. Trained in anthropology and sociology, they observed while the teens and their parents shopped for the essentials of college life. Some of the students struggled with doing their own laundry and worried about dorm living.

The strategists took it all in. Then they came up with a line of products for dorm rooms. Now items like a kitchen-in-a-box kit and a hamper with laundry instructions are marketed to the back-to-school crowds at the chain store Target.

Patnaik’s firm, San Mateo-based Jump, is part of a growing trend in which anthropologists are helping to design new products and business ventures, as well as organize the inner workings of companies.

Work done by anthropologists — who observe people in real-life settings — has translated into products including Yoplait’s portable Go-Gurt, Whirlpool’s “refrigerated oven” and Yahoo’s photo service. >>continue

Mercury News

Mary Douglas critical of the new anthropology

Published on August 9, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, books, persons and theories

Haaretz, Israel

Mary Douglas:

“Today too much dominance is given to the anthropologists themselves within the research. This is strange, as it used to be that the main criticism was that anthropologists kept themselves invisible in the research in a way that was really artificial. This accusation – pretending to be anonymous on the part of the writers – changed, and in its stead there has been an opposite phenomenon: dominance of the writers over the research material. Thus, today we are exposed far more to the experiences and thoughts of the writer, while the methodology and the orderly method have declined considerably.”

>>continue

Haaretz, Israel

Mary Douglas:
"Today too much dominance is given to the anthropologists themselves within the research. This is strange, as it used to be that the main criticism was that anthropologists kept themselves invisible in the research in a way…