“Human Terrain on Google Ads?

Human Terrain on Google Ads?

Well, this wasn’t expected. So I was checking out an anthropology-related site a while ago, just to see what was going on around those parts. And I noticed an interesting ad in the Google sidebar (which is common on many blogs and others sites):

Wherefore are ye anthro/archaeo blogs?

In the Ancient World Bloggers Group blog (AWBL), an interesting discussion was brought to my attention on the impact (or lack thereof) of anthropological blogs on the discipline. The Savage Minds blog features prominently as it was quoted in the title of a recent American Anthropologist article by David H. Price. Savage Minds has a blog post on the AA article, with comments. AWBL contributor Michael E. Smith notes:

Corridors: From Metaphor to Ethnography

It is not uncommon for us to refer to the corridors of academia as a kind of metaphor for the gossipy, informal, discourse which takes place outside of classrooms. Yet we rarely engage in ethnographic study of how academics actually use corridors. This is exactly what Rachel Hurdley has done. She wrote about her research in her paper ?The Power of Corridors: connecting doors, mobilising materials, plotting openness.? I heard Rachel Hurdley talk about her research on my favorite BBC Podcast, Thinking Allowed.

On Reaching a Broader Public: Five Ideas for Anthropologists

from Neuroanthropology
By Daniel Lende
How can anthropologists reach a wider audience? Good debate on that question has sprung up in recent weeks at Savage Minds, Culture Matters, and Ethnografix. We?ve also written about this question here. Now it?s time for a synthesis.

Mapping the Terrain of War Corporatism: The Human Terrain System within the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex

At least 29 corporations have vested interests, through contracts gained, in supporting the U.S. Army?s Human Terrain System in particular, and the development of ?human terrain? capabilities across various branches of the Army. Most of the newspaper coverage of HTS has focused almost exclusively on the role of BAE Systems, and the claimed ?nationalization? of HTS¹ (turning HTS employees into government workers, specifically labeled ?intelligence analysts?) has not meant either the decline or disappearance of private contracting. Recruitment, training, and the design and equipping of technology used by HTS are all in the hands of private contractors. Several HTS employees have been, or continue to be, also employees of these corporations. There is considerable overlap and movement of senior personnel between several of these corporations and HTS. Some of these individuals know each other from past work conducted for some of these private contractors.

Bibliography and Archive: The Military, Intelligence Agencies, and the Academy (with special reference to anthropology) ? Documents, News, Reports

from OPEN ANTHROPOLOGY by Maximilian Forte

Multiplying Human Terrain Dreams of Victory and Fortune

from OPEN ANTHROPOLOGY by Maximilian Forte

Hindi Film Songs and the Barriers between Ethnomusicology and Anthropology

There are only few studies on popular music in South Asia. Tereza Kuldova (Tessa Valo) reviews for us the book Hindi Film Songs and the Cinema by ethnomusicologist Anna Morcom. Her review shows – among other things – the differences and barriers between anthropology and ethnomusicology.

The official and the unofficial

This is interesting. David Price wrote a short review about anthropology blogs–it’s pretty fascinating when two different styles of communication start referring to one another. Here is a little excerpt from Rex at Savage Minds about this:

Anthropology/Economics

After working on projects that relate to international tourism and development for my M.A., and starting background work in the same vein for my PhD, I realized that one discipline, above all others, seemed to be directly opposed to a lot of what I was learning: economics.* The reason is, at heart, fairly basic. It?s a matter of assumptions, and it?s a matter of data collection. Anthropologists and economists start from some fundamentally different methodological and philosophical positions about human nature and behavior (if there are such things). Despite the fact that both sciences study human behavior, their proponents often come to some startlingly different conclusions. This paper is a brief exploration of this critical disjuncture.

John Burton analyses ERA rankings

John Burton of the ANU has circulated on the AASNet mailing list an analysis of the ERA rankings compared to the JIF citation analyses of the relevant journals. I asked him if I could share with readers of Culture Matters some of the most striking of his results.

Focus on NAGPRA: March Anthropology News Now Online

March Anthropology News In Focus commentaries on repatriation are now posted on our Current Featured News page, free to the public throughout the month.

Since its passage in 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) has prompted significant conversations on physical and intellectual property rights, identity politics, human rights and professional ethics. This month?s commentaries, published in NAGPRA?s 20^th anniversary year, examine a range of repatriation issues, from the challenges of interpreting genetic and cultural affiliation, to tribal heritage programs and museums? consultation processes.

Public Anthropology Reviews debut in American Anthropologist

The March 2010 issue of American Anthropologist, available now on Anthrosource and Wiley-Interscience, features the debut of the new ?Public Anthropology Review? section. 

As we announced last fall, these reviews will highlight anthropological work principally aimed at non-academic audiences, including websites, blogs, white papers, journalistic articles, briefing reports, online videos, and multimedia presentations.