anthropology

Seth Godin wanted to know:

What's the deal with brown rice? How do people become so attached to the social implications of food that they are willing to starve or suffer from malnutrition rather than take a step backward? The price of rice has soared, yet it seems like people are still demanding white rice, instead of the more nutritious (and almost certainly cheaper) brown rice. How high does the price have to go before people make a different choice?

In the wake of the death of one of the HTS anthropologists last week in Afghanistan, The Guardian covers some of the controversy around the use of anthropology by the military. The article discusses the "Anthropology and Global Counter-Insurgency" conference I presented at last month, and features quotes from and mentions of several of the participants, including John Kelly, Marshall Sahlins, David Price, Hugh Gusterson, Brian Selmanski, and Kerry Frosh -- the latter two representing the Air Force and Marines, respectively.

I've just posted information at Savage Minds about the conference I will be presenting at later this month. Rather than repost the whole post, I'm going to direct you there to have a look.

Update: The website for the Anthropology and Global Counterinsurgency conference is now live, with a schedule, attendee listing, and abstracts of both the panels and the papers to be presented.

The UK-based Socialist Review has just posted their review of Anthropology at the Dawn of the Cold War: The Influence of Foundations, McCarthyism and the CIA.

There's a reason I'm up at 2:30 in the morning. I'm trying to wrap my head around a concept I came across in my research for the paper I'm presenting at the Chicago conference on anthropology and counter-insurgency. Here's the quote that's got me all worked up:

One of the most useful contributions of native anthropology could be the "decontamination" of settler youth by building the analysis of the formidable role of non-knowledge in settler culture into their training for the profession [or anthropology]. (Gwaltney, John L. "On Going Home Again -- Some Reflections of a Native Anthropologist". Phylon 37:3. 1976/ Pp. 241-2.)

I've been invited to speak at a conference next month of anthropology and counter-insurgency. Details are still sketchy; all I know so far is that the conference will be held at the University of Chicago on April 25-26.

That means I have just over a month to write something new and meaningful. I'm thinking of surveying the history of anthropological involvement with the military, and closing with a list of fundamental incompatibilities between military practice and anthropological practice.

More info to come...

Anthropology at the Dawn of the Cold War: The Influence of Foundations, McCarthyism and the CIA went on sale a couple of days ago. As far as I can tell, it's now available worldwide, wherever fine books are sold.

Order your copy today!

During the several years I spent researching and editing Anthropology at the Dawn of the Cold War, I wrote several pieces on the themes covered in the book (or closely related issues) at Savage Minds. For your convenience, here is a quick guide to related information at Savage Minds.

1. Anthropologists as Counter-Insurgents: My first look at the work of Montgomery McFate (a lead author of the Army's counter-insurgency handbook and a strong advocate of anthropology as a military tool).
Read the rest of this entry »

One of my colleagues at Savage Minds posted the trailer for the upcoming Indiana Jones movie, drawing special attention to the last line. For all the part-time teachers out there, this one's for you!