politics | antropologi.info

Large Dams In India — Temples Or Burial Grounds?

Published on September 21, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Asia, culture traditions, development empowerment, politics

ZNet India interviews anthropologist Angana Chatterji

One of the most controversial “development projects” in recent years is a series of more than 3,000 dams in India’s Narmada River Valley. These dams flood vast areas and displace hundreds of thousands, mostly peasants and adivasi (tribal) people, while promises of relocation and resources usually prove to be illusory.

– National dreams and global capital have created incredible suffering and destroyed not just human life, not just part of our cultural heritage, but also the natural heritage of the Valley, says Angana Chatterji, a Calcutta-born anthropology professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco It is cruel and criminal.

– We drove to Purni, beyond which the land is engulfed by an infinite stretch of gloomy water. Narmada Sagar exemplifies the violence of nation-making in India today — a demonic, calculated rush for homogenized, unsustainable futures. This is what cultural genocide looks like. >> continueSEE ALSO:
Information about Angana Chatterji incl articles

ZNet India interviews anthropologist Angana Chatterji

One of the most controversial "development projects" in recent years is a series of more than 3,000 dams in India’s Narmada River Valley. These dams flood vast areas and displace hundreds of thousands, mostly peasants…

(untitled)

Published on September 16, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, indigenous people / minorities, politics

Thursday, September 16, 2004, 14:44

UN Decade of Indigenous People Ending to Mixed Reviews

National Geographic News

2004 is the last year of the United Nations International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. The program’s accomplishments may be best described as mixed. While indigenous issues are receiving more political attention worldwide, observers say that most indigenous people remain mired in poverty. Hunter-gatherer groups, in particular, are facing persecution and attacks on their way of life.

John Scott, the UN Permanent Forum officer, says it would be a step forward if governments stopped treating indigenous people as being separate from the rest of the population and instead as being part of their countries. >> continue

READ ALSO:
50,000 Indigenous Colombians March for Basic Rights (OneWorld.net, 16.9.04)

Thursday, September 16, 2004, 14:44

UN Decade of Indigenous People Ending to Mixed Reviews

National Geographic News

2004 is the last year of the United Nations International Decade of the World's Indigenous People. The program's accomplishments may be best described as mixed. While…

Poverty and health policies: Listening to the poor in Bangladesh

Published on September 7, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Asia, development empowerment, medical anthropology / ethnobothany, politics, poverty

Medical anthropologist Sabina Faiz Rashid, The Daily Star Bangladesh

The assumption often among policymakers is that mere provision of health services and better choices will improve health of the poor. Universal education in public health and biology and the availability of Western medical care are seen as preferred forms of intervention to improve the health situation of the country. However, throughout my fieldwork, I was confronted by overwhelming structural and social inequalities which have led to high unemployment, crime, widespread substance abuse and the breakdown of family networks and marital relations in slums.

For the poor, health cannot be separated from social and political — economic conditions of everyday life. If we truly want to see improvements in the health of poor women and men in Bangladesh, we need a more radical and broader based approach to health, where social and economic justice need to be an integral part of medicine and public health interventions. >> continue

Medical anthropologist Sabina Faiz Rashid, The Daily Star Bangladesh

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…

The Value of Rituals

Published on August 16, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, culture traditions, politics

New York Times

You’ve probably heard that the presidential candidates have been crossing the country arguing about Iraq and taxes, but, as usual, the press has ignored the true anthropological significance of their journeys.

“Ritual is absolutely central to modern politics,” Professor David Kertzer, an anthropologist at Brown University, said. “The press wrings their hands at what they call the lack of substance at conventions, and some people think of political rallies as being outmoded or even dangerous, but rituals like these are essential for creating solidarity and allegiance to a leader.” >>continue

New York Times

You've probably heard that the presidential candidates have been crossing the country arguing about Iraq and taxes, but, as usual, the press has ignored the true anthropological significance of their journeys.

"Ritual is absolutely central to modern politics," Professor…