Anthropologists in the Public Sphere

by Gonzalez, Roberto J.

• ISBN13: 9780292701694
• ISBN10: 0292701691
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of Texas Pr

Summary

"This book demonstrates that anthropologists have a great deal to contribute to political debate, and that the public spirit of anthropology may be rekindling." --Mark Pedelty, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Anthropologists have a long tradition of prescient diagnoses of world events. Possessing a knowledge of culture, society, and history not always shared by the media's talking heads, anthropologists have played a crucial role in educating the general reader on the public debates from World War I to the second Gulf War. This anthology collects over fifty commentaries by noted anthropologists such as Margaret Mead, Franz Boas, and Marshall Sahlins who seek to understand and explain the profound repercussions of U.S. involvement in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Frequently drawing on their own fieldwork, the anthropologists go beyond the headlines to draw connections between indigenous cultures, corporate globalization, and contemporary political and economic crises. Venues range from the op-ed pages of internationally renowned newspapers such as the New York Times and the Washington Post to magazine articles and television interviews. Special sections entitled "Prelude to September 11" and "Anthropological Interpretations of September 11" include articles that provided many Americans with their first substantial introduction to the history of Islam, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Each article includes a brief introduction contextualizing the commentary.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction Anthropologists in the Public Sphere: Speaking Out on War, Peace, and American Power	1	(20)
PART I WAR, PEACE, AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY	21	(52)
``Scientists as Spies'' (The Nation, 1919)	23	(3)
Franz Boas
``Warfare Is Only an Invention--Not a Biological Necessity'' (Asia, 1940)	26	(8)
Margaret Mead
``Once You've Broken Him Down . . .'' (The Nation, 1965)	34	(12)
Marshall Sahlins
``Contemporary Anthropology and Moral Accountability'' (To See Ourselves, 1973)	46	(6)
Gerald D. Berreman
``Two Plus Two Equals Zero--War and Peace Reconsidered'' (Radcliffe Quarterly, 1983)	52	(6)
Laura Nader
``Dollars That Forge Guatemalan Chains'' (New York Times, 1985)	58	(4)
Beatriz Manz
``Anthropologists as Spies'' (The Nation, 2000)	62	(9)
David Price
``Abuse of Power by the Advocates of Reason'' (Acts of Resistance, 1998)	71	(2)
Pierre Bourdieu
PART II PRESCIENT ANTHROPOLOGY: DIAGNOSING CRISES ABROAD	73	(48)
``West Must Correct Its Mistakes in Yugoslavia'' (Baltimore Sun, 1992)	75	(3)
Robert M. Hayden
``Nato Fuels the Balkan Fire'' (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1999)	78	(4)
Robert M. Hayden
``No Exit from Somalia'' (Washington Post, 1991)	82	(2)
Anna Simons
``Our Abysmal Ignorance about Somalia'' (Washington Post, 1992)	84	(4)
Anna Simons
``The Somalia Trap'' (Washington Post, 1993)	88	(3)
Anna Simons
``Increased U.S. Military Aid to Colombia Won't Curb Drug Trafficking'' (San Francisco Chronicle, 1999)	91	(3)
Winifred Tate
``Colombia: Rules of the Game'' (Foreign Policy in Focus, 2001)	94	(3)
Winifred Tate
``Unveiling U. S. Policy in Colombia'' (Foreign Policy in Focus, 2002)	97	(5)
Lesley Gill
``The Price of Free Trade: Famine'' (Los Angeles Times, 2002)	102	(3)
Marc Edelman
``How Two Truths Make One Tragedy'' (The Independent, 2000)	105	(3)
Ali Qleibo
``The Matrix of Control'' (Media Monitors Network, 2001)	108	(4)
Jeff Halper
``After the Invasion: Now What?'' (Counter Punch, 2002)	112	(5)
Jeff Halper
``If U.S. Dumps Test Ban Treaty, China Will Rejoice'' (Los Angeles Times, 2001)	117	(4)
Hugh Gusterson
PART III PRELUDE TO SEPTEMBER 11	121	(30)
``Cut Off the Arms Flow and Let Afghans Unite'' (Los Angeles Times, 1989)	123	(4)
Ashraf Ghani
``U.S. Can Strengthen African Ties in Wake of Terrorism with Aid, Clear Policies'' (Harrisburg Patriot-News, 1998)	127	(3)
James Merryman
``Egyptians Don't Like Saddam, But . . .'' (Austin American-Statesman, 1991)	130	(3)
Robert Fernea
``Gravesites---Environmental Ruin in Iraq'' (Metal of Dishonor, 1997)	133	(7)
Barbara Nimri Aziz
``U.N. Should Act to Protect Muslim Women'' (Newsday, 1998)	140	(4)
Fadwa El Guindi
``Women under the Taliban'' (Dateline, 2001)	144	(3)
Zieba Shorish-Shamley
Jana Wendt
``Follow the Oil Trail---Mess in Afghanistan Partly Our Government's Fault'' (Pacific News Service, 1998)	147	(4)
William O. Beeman
PART IV ANTHROPOLOGICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF SEPTEMBER 11	151	(20)
``Our Legacy of War'' (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2001)	153	(3)
Catherine Lutz
``Local Horror/Global Response'' (Chronicle of Higher Education: Colloquy, 2001)	156	(2)
David Harvey
Talal Asad
Cindi Katz
Neil Smith
Ida Susser
``A War Our Great-Grandchildren Will Be Fighting---Understanding Osama Bin Laden'' (Pacific News Service, 2001)	158	(3)
William O. Beeman
``What Have the 9/11 Investigators Overlooked?'' (Christian Science Monitor, 2002)	161	(4)
Janet Mcintosh
``We Need a Global Declaration of Interdependence'' (International Herald Tribune, 2002)	165	(6)
Wade Davis
PART V ON AFGHANISTAN, CENTRAL ASIA, AND THE MIDDLE EAST	171	(32)
``Nation Is Home to Afghans, Mujahedeen, Taliban, Afghan-Arabs, to Name a Few'' (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2001)	173	(3)
Robert Canfield
``The Folly of Quick Action in Afghanistan'' (Financial Times, 2001)	176	(4)
Ashraf Ghani
``Afghanistan Can Learn from Its Past'' (New York Times, 2001)	180	(3)
Nazif Shahrani
``Women in the New Afghanistan'' (Democracy Now! 2001)	183	(6)
Zieba Shorish-Shamley
Amy Goodman
``Enlisting Afghan Aid'' (People's Geography Project, 2001)	189	(3)
David B. Edwards
Shahmahmood Miakhel
``Pakistan's Dilemma'' (Middle East Report Online, 2001)	192	(5)
Kamran Asdar Ali
``War Destroyed Chechnya's Clan Structure'' (Middle East News Online, 2002)	197	(6)
Francesca Mereu
Sergei Arutyunov
Ian Chesnov
PART VI EXAMINING MILITARISM AND THE ``WAR ON TERROR''	203	(34)
``U.S. Anti-Terrorist Message Won't Fly in Islamic World'' (Pacific News Service, 2001)	205	(3)
William O. Beeman
``Terror and Indigenous Peoples: War without End'' (Counter Punch, 2001)	208	(3)
David Price
``Afghan War Could Be Recruiting Tool for Terrorists'' (Syracuse Post-Standard, 2001)	211	(3)
John Burdick
``First, Know the Enemy, Then Act'' (Los Angeles Times, 2001)	214	(5)
Dale F. Eickelman
``Sept. 11 Exposes Futile Search for `Perfect' Missile Defense'' (Syracuse Post-Standard, 2001)	219	(3)
John Burdick
``Ignorance Is Not Bliss'' (San Francisco Chronicle, 2002)	222	(4)
Roberto J. Gonzalez
``Turn Off Your Tunnel Vision'' (Washington Post, 2002)	226	(3)
Mahmood Mamdani
``The Roots of Muslim Separatism in the Philippines'' (AsiaSource, 2002)	229	(8)
Thomas Mckenna
Nermeen Shaikh
PART VII ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND CIVIL LIBERTIES	237	(20)
``Lynne Cheney--Joe Lieberman Group Puts Out a Blacklist'' (San Jose Mercury News, 2001)	239	(4)
Roberto J. Gonzalez
``Academia under Attack: Sketches for a New Blacklist'' (CounterPunch, 2001)	243	(4)
David Price
``Lynne Cheney's Free Speech Blacklist'' (TomPaine.com, 2002)	247	(5)
Hugh Gusterson
Sharon Basco
``Harmony Coerced Is Freedom Denied'' (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2001)	252	(5)
Laura Nader
Epilogue Unconventional Anthropology: Challenging the Myths of Continuous War	257	(12)
List of Contributors	269	(4)
Permissions	273	(6)
Index	279