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Interesting piece, Candy.I just don't get it. Why is it becoming a controversial issue? Data gathering is one of the most essential parts in any military excursions. And why call it pseudo-anthropology anyway? Is anthropology such an exclusive theme for civilians/noncombatants and therefore any related research are prohibited for military use?
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Candy, Limited reply but more later. I suspect that anthropological data could be used for goo or evil and as in the movie "Avatar", the motives were good, but once the military mind set took over all the good intentions were lost.
BTW, I limped and gasped my way to see "Avatar" a second time. It was even better than the first time. As one critic said: "It's the perfect movie!"
Oh I can't wait to see Avatar again. We weren't able to get in to see it as it's always sold out (aside from the midnight shwow...and this time I want to see it in the day). I am so impressed you saw it again in your sore state. Your repeat viewing really demonstrates how this movie captures ones consciousness. I've had at least half a dozen dreams about the planet and world of the movie. I wake up feeling so great! I've heard there are other people who have had lots of dreams about the movie.Silvana, I agree with Ed that any research projects might lead to an insider knowledge that could be used against a different economic group...for good or bad. In many ways I was reminded of the awareness that Colonists had about Native Americans weakness for Agriculturally spread diseases like chicken pox when the wars between aboriginals and Europeans was in full force in N.A. The Europeans realized that many aboriginals ate buffalo...by hunting with bows and arrows. Providing guns to the Native Americans sped the process of killing buffalo up. So when a groups food source is used up they becoem weakened. The Europeans also knowingly used infected objects as gifts. They sped up the spread of disease with tainted blankets as "gifts".
I actually believe that using anthropologists and scientists to help us understand a new group of humans can be a very compassionate tool. We have learned how other groups make a living and communicate and see industrial countries as threats. This is being used to make the war in Iraq hopefully become a public relations promotion. Soldiers walk with the citizens and try to meet with them on their own terms by studyingtheir culture. Hopefully to bridge the gap between competeing resources: gfinding out how U.S. is percieved by countries that at first seem different than ours...helps us see our common goals.
The more aggressive use of cultural habits and customs could also be used to find "weaknesses" if that is the occupying forces aim.
When we learn that many societies in South America practice complex healing traditions...observers could use that information to protect the plants they use...or destroy them quicker in order to weaken their healing. If the South American societies can treat themselves they will die out. OR if they can heal themselves we can change our behaviour and ot use up their forest...and possibly also benefit from the medicine they practice here in North America.
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message by Ed
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reply to this post
But the authors cringed at the notion of field researchers conducting “anthropology” for a program with such an ill-defined ethical framework. “When ethnographic investigation is determined by military missions, not subject to external review, where data collection occurs in the context of war, integrated into the goals of counterinsurgency, and in a potentially coercive environment -- all characteristic factors of the [Human Terrain System:] concept and its application -- it can no longer be considered a legitimate professional exercise of anthropology,” the association wrote in its report.
For those of us who have seen the movie Avatar this article has a relevance because part of the plot of the movie is that a socio-biologist is hired by the military to study a different culture...
I thought the following link might be of interest to some participants here:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/20...
And here is a rather extensive article from The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...