"AAA Statement on military collaboration
American Anthropological Association Executive Board Statement on the Human Terrain System Project
Preamble
Since early October, there has been extensive news media coverage of the U.S. military’s Human Terrain System (hereafter, HTS) project and of that project’s use of anthropologists. Later this fall, the American Anthropological Association’s Ad Hoc Commission on the Engagement of Anthropology with U.S. National Security and Intelligence Communities will issue its final report. In advance of that report, the Executive Board affirms that it is important that judgments about relationships between anthropology, on the one hand, and military and state intelligence operations, on the other, be grounded in a careful and thorough investigation of their particulars.
The Commission’s work did not include systematic study of the HTS project. The Executive Board of the Association has, however, concluded that the HTS project raises sufficiently troubling and urgent ethical issues to warrant a statement from the Executive Board at this time. Our statement is based on information in the public record, as well as on information and comments provided to the Executive Board by the Ad Hoc Commission and its members.
And comes a huge roundup on the topic and anthro related issues...
Amnesty International - Make Some Noise
American Anthropological Association opposes collaboration with the military - Bloggers react
by Lorenz
The AAA, HTS, and the anthropological noosphere
by Rex
I am very gratified to see the AAA has taken a stance on HTS, and that it has taken the stance that it has. Even more to the point, I am glad to see that it has taken this stance in the way it has, which includes a blog on which people can discuss this issue. I think both the stance and the blog signal a couple of things about the AAA that deserve mention:
"Arabs and Muslims should be wary of anthropologists"
by Lorenz
News of anthropologists in the US. military starts circulating on one of the largest Muslim websites, Culture Matters reports. Anthropologist Donald Abdallah Cole says to IslamOnline.net that “Arabs and Muslims should be wary of western anthropologists":
'Human terrain'
Anthropologists uneasy over job offers from Pentagon
"No wonder that anthropology is banished from universities in the 'decolonized' world" (updated)
by Lorenz
The debates about the militarisation of anthropology have recently made the front page of the New York Times and several other newspapers (f.ex. The Boston Globe) and blogs discussed the story.
Reporters Without Borders; Four special reporters from China, Venezuela, Tunisia and Russia. Interesting ad prints by Reporters Without Borders. Where are Vietnamese, North Korean and Cuban ones?
News of anthropologists in the military starts circulating on Muslim website
by llwynn
A few days ago, Pal Nyiri forwarded to me another article on anthropologists in the military. I was taken aback to find that it was published on one of the websites I am already following for a little project of mine (on cyberfatwas on new reproductive health technologies), www.IslamOnLine.net.
An anthropologist in the military
by Jovan
Anthropologists and the Intervention
by Kim
I know that there has been a lot of discussion here at SM over the role of anthropologists in war situations, particularly in Iraq. As I said in my last post, the state of emergency and militarization of Aboriginal communities in Australia is by no stretch Iraq. Still, anthropologists are (to continue the military metaphors) on the front lines in many cases (not just anthropologists though, linguists—a lot of linguists). Many work in Aboriginal communities long term as part of organizations or on-going projects, as consultants, etc. There is more “applied” anthropology work in Australia than in the US (from what I can tell—others might be better placed here to know if this is the case). So consequently many anthropologists (and other degreed folks) are caught up in the intervention. My most recent field trip coincidently overlapped.
The ‘PR’ Argument
by Rex
One of the arguments that many have made about anthropology at war is the ‘PR’ argument, which is (correct me if I’m wrong): the US military is hiring anthropologists because employing them lends the army an air of legitimacy. It 1) makes anthropologists at war advocates for the military by a) putting them on the payroll and b) socializing them to like the military and 2) it lends legitimacy to the war in Iraq by portraying it as a conflict in which a) technical expertise in social science is being used and in which b) legitimate academics are taking part.
Plagiarism and the Counter Insurgency Manual
by ckelty
Following on Strong’s investigations into the suspect ethical issues surrounding the human subjects protection, a new article by David Price posted at Counterpunch adds fuel to our ever growing bonfire of the venalities here at Savage Minds. Price’s jauntily written expose reveals the extensive plagiarism of the Petraus’ Counterinsurgency Manual.
HTS: Parsons vs. Gramsci
by Kerim
I’ve been having a difficult time talking about the role of anthropology in war because two sides of my anthropological brain are fighting with each other. On the one hand I have the Parsonian side attempting to articulate the universal norms which aught to govern the behavior of anthropologists. On the other side I have the Gramscian side looking at the specifics of this administration and this war, refusing to get dragged into universalizing discourses that deflect attention from the current political realities.
Marshall Sahlins on anthropologists in Iraq
by Rex
(an open letter to the New York Times)
New York Times publishes Shweder opinion piece on anthropology and war
by llwynn
Anthropologists and the US Army, yet again
by gregdowney
My Thoughts on Anthropologists in the Military
by Kerim
Human Terrain System & Anthropology Discussed on Wisconsin Public Radio
by Strong
Marcus Griffin, presently deployed to Iraq as an anthropologist with the ‘Human Terrain System,’ was a guest on a call-in radio show hosted by Kathleen Dunn on Wisconsin Public Radio yesterday. David Price was the guest for the second half of the one hour program. You can listen to the program here (Real Audio).
Why is anthropological writing so boring? New issue of Anthropology Matters
by Lorenz
AMNH Collected Papers Open-Accessed
Urban anthropologist: "Recognize that people want to come to the big cities"
by Lorenz
First issue of open access journal "After Culture" is online
by Lorenz
The first issue of “After Culture - Emergent Anthropologies” that was planned for release in September 2006 has finally been published, Savage Minds reports.
Study: Anti-immigration steps are doing the opposite of what they intend to do
by Lorenz
New blog: "Open Anthropology" by Maximilian C. Forte
by Lorenz
New fieldwork blog: Struggling with antipathy for the field and "anthropology-fed-up-ness"
by Lorenz
Now online: Up to 100 year old anthropology papers
by Lorenz
(via Museum Anthropology) More and more open access to anthropology online: The American Museum of Natural History has digitalized their up to 100 year old Anthropological Papers and put them online.
Anthropologist calls for a greater appreciation of child labor
by Lorenz
Anthropologist examines influence of robots in Japan
by Lorenz
12 new interviews about cosmopolitanism, islam, modernity, street culture...
by Lorenz
Anthropologist’s Code
by Kerim
BoingBoing recently posted a list of “ten rules for proper mafioso etiquette” found during a police raid in Italy. They also list Gene Autry’s Cowboy Code (from 1930). With all the recent talk about Anthropological ethics, I was wondering if we could come up with a simple ten-point list with the same clarity evidenced by these lists.
Official 2007 AAAs ‘hot theorist’: Gabriel Tarde
by Rex
Agamben move over—my money for the ‘high-concept’ theorist to hit the AAA this year (unless I am so far ahead of the fashion trend I am two years ahead of my peers) is Gabriel Tarde, who is not only getting a conference in his honor but also an entire special number of Economy and Society.
Israeli Assemblages
by Rex
This article was making the rounds a couple of days ago so I thought I would repost it here:
I asked Naveh why Deleuze and Guattari were so popular with the Israeli military. He replied that ‘several of the concepts in A Thousand Plateaux became instrumental for us […] allowing us to explain contemporary situations in a way that we could not have otherwise.’
Disagreeing as people and as anthropologists
by Rex
Much of the recent discussion on this blog has focused on the role that anthropologists play in the military, and particularly the war in Iraq. On the whole the comments share two features: first, they consider anthropological work in Iraq to be wrong and, second, they consider it to be a violation of anthropological ethics. What I am wondering about here is the connection between these two claims.
Savage Minds on Anthropology and War
by Kerim
We’ve been writing about anthropology and war on Savage Minds for over two years now, but because our categorization system is a mess it can be hard to find all our posts on the topic. So here is a list of all our posts I could find on the subject (in chronological order, starting back in 2005).
Another film on human trafficking
by Third Tone Devil
After the recent success of The Jammed, an independent Australian feature, a new Hollywood film on human trafficking, Trade, is being released worldwide. The production, endorsed by Amnesty International and UNESCO, highlights two trends: the engagement of Hollywood filmmakers in publicizing causes championed by international NGOs (Blood Diamonds is a case in point) and, specifically, the broad appeal of the fight against “trafficking” that reaches from the Christian right to the feminist left.
How do citationary practices in anthropology define our Others?
by llwynn
Kurt Wenner Street Arts; These astonishing pavement artworks below are done by Kurt Wenner, an American architect, artist and former NASA illustrator. The first one can be found at London’s Waterloo station, here for more information. Click on the images to go to his homepage. Watch also video about street painting by Julian Beever.
