Jeremy Sabloff
We welcome another guest blog from Mark Sanders (Earth Search, Inc).
Dr. Jerry Sabloff of the Santa Fe Institute delivered the AAA’s Distinguished Lecture at this year’s conference. The title of his talk, The Circulation of Ideas: Anthropology and Public Outreach, was effectively a battle cry for anthropologists.
Our motto shouldn’t be “publish or perish, but rather, public or perish,” archaeologist Sabloff said to a crowd of fellow anthropologists. He noted how other scientific fields have their iconic scholars – think Stephen Hawking, or Cornell West, or Jared Diamond.
But anthropology? With the exception of the deceased (Margaret Mead) and the fictitious (Indiana Jones), not so much.
That needs to change, Sabloff says, especially considering the intensity and complexity of global issues. Take your pick of front page headlines. The Obama administration’s healthcare bill would benefit from having anthropologists share their perspectives in a public forum, such as an op-ed piece in the newspaper. The ongoing war in Afghanistan is another example; anthropologists could provide different viewpoints from the talking heads the public is used to seeing on television.
Part of the problem has been university departments’ traditional avoidance of the limelight. Worse yet, anthropologists who speak out in the media are often criticized by their colleagues. “We shouldn’t be sniping, but rather supporting, our colleagues who write op-ed pieces,” Sabloff said.
The lecture, which was as inspiring as it was bold, was met with wild applause, a standing ovation and likely more than a few anthropologists considering their future (however large or small) in the public spotlight.
Filed under: Annual Meeting
Amen. Any relief from talking heads provided by people with depth in the field would be most welcome!!!
As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” And since academics have no reward or accountability for reaching out, while anthropologists outside the campus have concerns with delivering product or service to clients, there are few champions, except by serendipity rather than design (e.g. Deborah Tannen’s wide readership). Yet those few that Mead identifies who take an active interest in Public Anthro surely can make incremental, small steps that add up to wider currency for the anthro perspective. Take heart and press onward!
“. . .other scientific fields have their iconic scholars . . .” according to Professor Sabloff. We wonder what happened to Anthropology and its once public image of scientific authority on matters of compelling human importance? I suggest that we consider the implications of an Anthropology that now formally eschews science; the new mission statement promulgated in New Orleans by the Executive Board purges from the old statement every reference to science.Why should the public listen to us? This is but the latest instance of a discipline in which large segments within it have over the last twenty-five years made determined efforts to undermine its own authority.
[...] to the public. In his distinguished lecture, the eminent archaeologist Jeremy Sabloff chastised anthropologists for their unwillingness to engage with the general public. I could not agree with this [...]
Thankfully someone has finally stood up and wanted the title back!
Anthropology has been stuck in the postmodern discourse of what the *bleep* it is supposed to be. It has become a snake eating its tail. While scholars are debating what side of the fence to shit on people around the world are fighting to change the world just to be able to survive. It is the height of arrogance when you have the great possibilities as anthropologist does, to debate, when you can expose and reveal.
Rip off the damn elbow patches and death to the corduroy jacket postmodernist debate. Time to become active.
In case you’d like to watch the Distinguished Lecture, it’s posted at: http://www.vimeo.com/17850878
[...] of archaeology, and we need to communicate that information to the public. This was the topic of Jerry Sabloff’s recent plenary lecture at the AAA meetings in New Orleans. Here is some coverage from the AAA blog: Our motto shouldn’t be [...]
In a rapidly changing global market place and world of competing ideas and intellectual brands, Dr. Sabloff is pointing to the major weakness in the anthropological establishment today — a failure to adapt to the public (i.e. market) demand, or need, for anthropological services.
Margaret Mead, Indian Jones, and T. “Bones” Brennan are the public icons of anthropology today.
One, a real person Margaret Mead, expressed the brand’s values and ideals of the mid-20th century promoting human rights, decolonization, technical change in the third world and social justice in the West.
Two represent fictional stereo-types. One, Indian Jones presents the grave robbing archeologist in government service collecting artifacts for the museum.
And the second, “Bones,” presents a brilliant, idealized, emotionally detached, forensic technician who makes occasional “cultural” quips and who works for the FBI.
Of the real anthropologists presented to the public, the archeologist is probably the most well recognized by the public through PBS’ NOVA series, and the History Channel. But even here, there are no “stars” or “celebrity” personalities who can promote the brand.
As an applied practitioner, the very lack of a clear public brand identity for modern (21st century) anthropology inhibits the marketability of my anthropological identity. Instead I have had more success marketing my MBA while using my anthropological knowledge and skills to serve my clients..
In today’s market, “celebrity” sells. It sells products, ideas, causes and services. Anthropologists and the anthropological establishment need to heed Dr. Sabloff’s message and act on it.