Anthro in the Media | American Anthropological Association

Heritage Distancing

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Joslyn O.

Have you read Douglas Reeser and Claire Novotny’s recent Anthropology News article on heritage distancing? The article, Destroying Nohmul, describes the destruction of an ancient Maya site in Belize. Read the entire article on the Anthropology News website, below is an excerpt:

A work crew excavating the Nohmul site to be hauled away as road-fill.Photo courtesy of CTV3 Belize News.

The bulldozing and destruction of the ancient Maya site at Nohmul, in the Orange Walk district of northern Belize, has recently received widespread international attention. The largest structure of the ancient ceremonial center was reduced to rubble for use as road-fill by a local contracting company, a widely condemned act that will likely result in minimal consequences for the perpetrators. This incident, and others like it, are examples of the vulnerability of major historical sites, demonstrates the importance of the archaeological landscape for communities, and brings up issues of cultural heritage and engaged anthropology.

Nohmul was a medium-sized city founded in the Middle Preclassic period (650 BC – 350 BC). Interestingly, its fortunes waned during the Early Classic period (AD 100 – 250), when it was all but abandoned, only to be re-occupied during the Terminal Classic (AD 900 – 1000), when ties to the Yucatan peninsula are evident in its architecture and ceramic assemblage. Nohmul is one example of Maya longevity, memory, and re-use of important sites. When they re-occupied it in the Terminal Classic is was already an ancient place – at least 1000 years old. Nohmul has been a marker of place, history, and ancestral heritage for more than 2,000 years (see Hammond et al.).

Though a small nation, the Belizean landscape is blanketed with ancestral remains of the ancient Maya, from densely populated cities like Caracol to villages such as Chan in the Belize River Valley, as well as countless unnamed hamlets throughout the country. As the Director of the Institute of Archaeology, Dr. Jaime Awe, pointed out in a recent interview with Belize’s Channel 7 News, the size of the Institute of Archaeology is miniscule compared with the archaeological resources they are tasked to manage, and Awe’s frustration over the events at Nohmul is palpable in the interviews he has given to the press. This is not to minimize their significant efforts – last year archaeologists from the IA successfully and efficiently excavated late Preclassic period archaeological remains encountered during road construction in downtown San Ignacio. They also actively oversee and grant permits to numerous archaeological research projects taking place throughout the country.

Filed under: Advocacy, Anthro in the Media, Publications | Tagged: Anthropology News, Belize, Clair Novotny, cultural preservation, Destroying Nohmul, Douglas Reeser, heritage distancing | Leave a Comment »

President Obama Supports Scientific Integrity of Anthropology

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Joslyn O.

Today’s guest blog post is by AAA President Leith Mullings.

As an anthropologist and President of the American Anthropological Association (AAA), I was especially gratified to hear President Barack Obama acknowledge the discipline of anthropology and support its scientific integrity. In a speech at the 150th Anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences, President Obama said:

(Pablo Martinez Monsivais – AP)

And it’s not just resources. I mean, one of the things that I’ve tried to do over these last four years and will continue to do over the next four years is to make sure that we are promoting the integrity of our scientific process; that not just in the physical and life sciences, but also in fields like psychology and anthropology and economics and political science — all of which are sciences because scholars develop and test hypotheses and subject them to peer review — but in all the sciences, we’ve got to make sure that we are supporting the idea that they’re not subject to politics, that they’re not skewed by an agenda, that, as I said before, we make sure that we go where the evidence leads us. And that’s why we’ve got to keep investing in these sciences.

Nearly 100 anthropologists are members of the National Academy of Sciences, many of whom are among the 12,500 active members of the AAA. In an era in which some members of Congress are attempting to undermine the peer-review process and academic freedom in research, it is heartening to have the support of the President on these important issues.

I look forward to the President’s continued support for the critical contributions anthropologists make to the understanding of human kind in all of its aspects.

Filed under: Advocacy, Anthro in the Media, Association Business | Tagged: AAA President Leith Mullings, National Academy of Sciences, President Obama | 1 Comment »

Anthropology Weighs In On the Marriage Debate in New Public Journal

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Joslyn O.

Open Anthropology is the newest publication of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). It is a digital-only publication that will be provided to the public free of charge. This is the first AAA publication that uses responsive design and is readable on mobile devices, such as iPhones.

In providing this journal to the public, AAA is alerting its members and other interested audiences that it is committed to examining new approaches to journal publishing, and that some of these potential options include “open access” models for in-demand content.

In its inaugural issue, Open Anthropology editor Alisse Waterston (John Jay College, CUNY) curates AAA’s finest articles on marriage and other arrangements. In the issue’s ten articles and two book reviews, Waterston provides a cross-cultural sampling of the anthropological research on the subject. Waterston notes that in this issue, “Cutting through the nonsense thought and dangerous talk, anthropologists set the record straight on marriage and other arrangements.”

Content in Open Anthropology will be culled from the full archive of AAA publications, curated into issues, and will be freely available on the internet for a minimum of six months, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search or link to the full text of these articles. Each issue will be dedicated to topics of interest to the general public, and that may have direct or indirect public policy implications. “We hope that Open Anthropology will help make anthropology and anthropologists more visible outside the academy and expand our role in important social issues and policy discussions” says AAA President, Leith Mullings.

Open Anthropology is available at http://www.aaaopenanthro.org.

Filed under: Anthro in the Media, Association Business, Publications | Tagged: Alisse Waterston, anthropology publication, family arrangements, Leith Mullings, marriage, open access, Open Anthropology | 6 Comments »

2013-2014 AAA Minority Dissertation Fellow Announced

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Joslyn O.

American Anthropological Association (AAA) and the Committee on Minority Affairs in Anthropology (CMIA) are pleased to announce the selection of Karen G. Williams as recipient of the 2013-2014 AAA Minority Dissertation Fellowship. This annual fellowship of $10,000 is intended to encourage members of ethnic minorities to complete doctoral degrees in anthropology, thereby increasing diversity in the discipline and promoting research on issues of concern among minority populations.

Williams’ dissertation, titled “From Coercion to Consent?: Governing the Formerly Incarcerated in the 21^st Century United States” focuses on the criminal justice system. Dr. Dana-Ain Davis of Williams’ dissertation committee notes, “In addition to being an outstanding leader, Karen also has an outstanding record of academic achievement.” She is currently working on her PhD in anthropology at City University of New York. Karen received her Bachelors of Fine Arts at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in anthropology and continued on to receive a Masters of Arts in Performance Studies at New York University.

Williams will be recognized during the AAA Awards Ceremony at the 2013 AAA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Rosa E. Ficek, PhD Candidate at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will be acknowledged as the Honorable Mention.

Filed under: Anthro in the Media, Career/Funding/Awards | Tagged: City University of New York, Committee on Minority Affairs in Anthropology, criminal justice system in US, Dana-Ain Davis, Karen G. Williams, Rosa E. Ficek | Comments Off

We Run For Boston

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Joslyn O.

Have you seen the latest article by Robert R. Sauders on Anthropology News? It’s a powerful piece about the rise of solidarity activism in the aftermath of tragedy, entitled “We Run for Boston“. Below is an excerpt:

On April 15, 2013, the 117^th running of the Boston Marathon commenced with a starter’s pistol for mobility-impaired entrants at 9:00am; yet, unlike previous years, the 2013 marathon ended at 2:50pm when two explosive devices were detonated within a few hundred yards of the finish line. The bombing of the 2013 Boston Marathon left three people dead – 8 year-old Martin Richard, 23 year-old Lu Lingzi and 29 year-old Krystle Campbell – and wounded more than 175 people. Due to the design of the bombs, many of the victims suffered severe shrapnel wounds to their lower extremities, with some so injured that amputation was necessary.

In the aftermath of the tragedy in Boston, people from across the United States and around the world expressed their shock over the brutality of the bombings, their anger with those who would perpetrate such actions and their sympathy with those who suffered injury and trauma. As medical professionals treated the wounded and law enforcement began the arduous process of collecting evidence to identify those responsible for the bombings, hundreds and thousands of ordinary people began organizing solidarity and fundraising efforts through social media tools. Within only a few short hours after the bombs ripped through Boylston Street, small groups dedicated to standing united with the Boston Marathon victims as well as with the city of Boston began appearing on Facebook, Twitter, blog and websites.

Read Sauder’s entire article on Anthropology-News.org.

Filed under: Advocacy, Anthro in the Media, Commentary, Publications | Tagged: Anthropology News, Boston Marathon, Robert R. Sauders | Comments Off

Zero Tolerance for Sexual Harassment

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Joslyn O.

In response to the recent survey about sexual harassment in anthropology, reported by Kathryn Clancy (U Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), Katie Hinde (Harvard), Robin Nelson (U California, Riverside), and Julienne Rutherford (U Illinois, Chicago) the American Anthropological Association has issued the following statement on behalf of its more than 11,000 members.

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is shocked and dismayed to learn about the results of a recent survey reported at the April 2013 meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Knoxville, TN. The AAA has zero tolerance for sexual harassment in academic, professional, fieldwork or any other settings where our members work. While the AAA does not have adjudicatory authority over these matters, our Statement on Ethics: Code of Professional Responsibility sets out our clear expectation that anthropologists “…have a responsibility to maintain respectful relationships with others. In mentoring students, interacting with colleagues, working with clients, acting as a reviewer or evaluator, or supervising staff, anthropologists should comport themselves in ways that promote an equitable, supportive and sustainable workplace environment.”

We deplore the reported incidents of sexual harassment, and expect employers and institutions of higher education to enforce the law as well as their specific anti-harassment policies for implementing the law. While sexual harassment is an issue that affects men and women alike, women bear the greatest burden of these incidents by far. The AAA has a long-term commitment to monitoring the status of women in anthropology through the Committee on the Status of Women in Anthropology, renamed in 2011 the Committee on Gender Equity in Anthropology. We encourage harassment victims who do not feel that adequate protections are available through their employer or home institution to contact the Association’s Committee on Gender Equity in Anthropology confidentially for advice.

Filed under: Advocacy, Anthro in the Media, Association Business, Commentary, Ethics, Resources | Tagged: Committee on Gender Equity in Anthropology, ethics code, Julienne Rutherford, Kathryn Clancy, Katie Hinde, Robin Nelson, sexual harassment in anthropology, Statement on Ethics: Coode of Professional Responsibility | 6 Comments »

70 Native American Masks To Go To Auction Friday

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Joslyn O.

AAA member, C. Timothy McKeown wrote an article yesterday for Indian Country Today. The article You Can’t Convey What You Don’t Have discusses yet another auction of significant artifacts to be held at the end of this week in Paris, France. Below is an excerpt:

On Friday, April 12, Néret-Minet Tessier & Sarrou in Paris is scheduled to auction 70 Native American masks dating between 1880 and 1940. The auction catalogue describes each mask, provides a photograph, details the materials used in its construction, and identifies the tribe that used the mask in its religious ceremonies. There are one or more masks from Acoma, Jemez, Zuni and Navajo, but the majority are from Hopi. The proposed sale has unleashed a global discussion on the propriety of the trade in communally owned cultural items and the need for transparency in provenance documentation.

We know little about the collector for whose benefit the auction will be conducted, identified in the catalogue only by the initials “L.S.” and described as “a connoisseur with peerless taste” who lived and collected in the US for 30 years. The French press describes him as a Frenchman who worked in the American film industry and occasionally stayed with the tribe. Requests from the Hopi Tribe for information on the provenance of the collection have been ignored, and last Thursday the US Embassy in Paris reportedly weighed in with an email asking the auction house to respond to the Hopi request. In a statement to the press, an unnamed representative of the auction house claimed that the collector “legally bought the items in the United States at sales and auctions.” Auctioneer Gilles Néret-Minet has dismissed Hopi claims because “they rely on an article of the Hopi constitution which is not recognized in France because it is not a State.”

Monsieur Néret-Minet might be interested in knowing that a number of US Federal laws may also be implicated in the proposed sale. Taking the auction house representative’s statement that the items were “legally” bought in the US on its face, we can assume that none of the masks – many of which have been identified by the Hopi Tribe as objects of ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance central to the tribe and which could not be alienated, appropriated, or conveyed by any individual – were obtained after 1990 from tribal lands or from a museum receiving Federal funds. Section 4 of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) made the sale, purchase, use for profit, or transport for sale or profit of any such cultural items a criminal offense. To date, 13 individuals have been convicted of trafficking items similar to those being offered at the Paris auction. Most were fined and the cultural items confiscated and repatriated. Several were also imprisoned. The list of convicted criminals includes mostly tribal members, intermediaries, and dealers in the American Southwest. Missing are the collectors who fuel the market, though several have stepped forward, including one reportedly connected to the Hollywood community, to aid the law enforcement and avoid prosecution themselves.

Click here to read McKeown’s entire article.

Readers may recall a letter sent by AAA President Leith Mullings last month about the Barbier-Mueller Collection of pre-Colombian art that was auctioned by Sotheby’s Paris. What do you think it is about Paris to be a hub for such auctions?

Filed under: Advocacy, Anthro in the Media | Tagged: auctions in Paris, C. Timothy McKeown, Hopi masks to auction, Indian Country Today | Comments Off

AAA and AFA Summer Interns Selected

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Joslyn O.

The 2013 AAA Summer Interns and Association for Feminist Anthropology (AFA) Summer Intern has been selected. Congratulations to Jeff Emerson, Jalene Regassa and Rachel Nuzman!

Rachel Nuzman will be the 2013 AFA Summer Intern. Nuzman is a senior at Saint Mary’s College of California. She is double majoring in Anthropology and English, and minoring in Women and Gender Studies. Rachel notes that through her studies, she has “developed an incredible passion for analyzing cultural influence and pressure on gender and language.”

The AFA is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Nuzman will research an annotated history of the AFA, utilizing the AFA Archives housed at the Smithsonian and other sources, to mark this important anniversary. The finished product will be a useful guidebook for research and scholarship related to AFA’s mission: pedagogy and scholarship in feminist anthropology.

Please help support Rachel’s internship by making a financial contribution to the AFA-AAA Summer Internship Program.

Jeff Emerson, an AAA Summer Intern, will be working with the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the Naval History & Heritage Command, the official history program of the Department of the Navy. A native of Iowa, Emerson is a senior at Luther College. He double majors in Anthropology and Chemistry.

Several opportunities have led Emerson to an interest in the fields of archaeometry, oceanographic archaeology and artifact conservation. Work with the National Park Service at the Klondike Gold Ruck National Historical Park in Skagway, Alaska, and an internship in summer 2012 with the Nautilus Exploration Program searching for ancient shipwrecks in the Black Sea have contributed most to these curiosities. While on the Nautilus expedition, Jeff assisted the lead scientist with geochemical research of the Black Sea’s stratified water column and the underlying sediments. This investigation turned into the core research for his senior capstone project in chemistry to better understand the chemical processes within the water column and sediments, and how they influence the deterioration or preservation of archaeological artifacts left in situ.

Jalene Regassa, an AAA Summer Intern, will be working with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. Regassa is a senior at Colby College. She double majors in Anthropology and Global Studies. “As an Ethiopia-American, I am very much interested in exploring the ways in which African cultures interact with American cultures and people” says Regassa.

Jalene has a passion for learning, which has compelled her to become an active member of the Colby African Society. Over the past three years, She has played a significant role in revitalizing the club’s activities of representing Africa at Colby College. Her Anthropology major has been valuable in learning about the various cultures that exist in Africa and in appreciating the plurality of experiences across the continent, which she believes allows for a balanced and holistic understanding of Africa and its people.

In a recent interview, Regassa relays her excitement for the upcoming internship: “I am excited to begin my AAA internship at the Smithsonian National Museum for African Art this coming summer. I believe it is a great opportunity to further develop my knowledge while combining my growing interests in anthropology, African cultures, and art.”

The AAA Summer Internship is in its third consecutive year. The program is proudly funded entirely through member donations. This summer AAA needs to raise $8,000 to host Emerson and Regassa. The internships are unpaid; however, the students are provided housing and a meal/travel stipend. Please support these students by making your financial contribution to the AAA Summer Internship Program today.

Filed under: AAA Sections, Anthro in the Media, Association Business, Career/Funding/Awards | Tagged: 2013 AAA Summer Internship Program, AFA Summer Intern, anthropology internship, anthropology students, Association for Feminist Anthropology, Colby College, Jalene Regassa, Jeff Emerson, Luther College, Rachel Nuzman, Saint Mary's College of California | Comments Off

Anthropologists in the Media

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Joslyn O.

Here at the AAA office, I field calls from producers looking for anthropologists. From popular television shows like Jeopardy to channels like NatGeo, producers are looking for experts to answer their latest questions or provide accuracy to their newest series.

A couple of weeks ago, a woman from the History Channel’s hit show American Pickers called the AAA office. In the latest pick, Mike and Frank purchased a bow and arrow set. The pickers were told that the set was from the Philippines and that the arrows were poisonous. Did the story check out? Is there an anthropologist that could come help verify the pick?

Because of tools such as the AAA membership database, I was able to refer this researcher to a selection of anthropological experts. American Pickers brought anthropologist Candace Sall, Associate Curator at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of Missouri on the show to share her assessment of the bow and arrow set. Her appearance starts at minute 40 of the episode “Cheap Pick”.

If you’ve been putting your AAA online membership profile on the back burner, the present is an opportune time to complete it. By searching through the database, I can help connect the media with you when they are seeking your area of expertise. I have yet to come across an inquiry where there is not an anthropologist for a topic in question.

I look forward to including you in the next inquiry!

Cheers,

Joslyn

Joslyn Osten is the Marketing and Communications Manager for the American Anthropological Association.

Filed under: Anthro in the Media, Association Business | Tagged: AAA online member profile, American Pickers, anthropological experts, History Channel, Museum of Anthropology | 2 Comments »

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Heritage Distancing

President Obama Supports Scientific Integrity of Anthropology

Anthropology Weighs In On the Marriage Debate in New Public Journal

2013-2014 AAA Minority Dissertation Fellow Announced

We Run For Boston

Zero Tolerance for Sexual Harassment

70 Native American Masks To Go To Auction Friday

AAA and AFA Summer Interns Selected

Anthropologists in the Media

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