ZERO ANTHROPOLOGY

ISSN 2562-9948

by Maximilian C. Forte

Nuremberg, Covid, and Anthropology: Never Again

Today, August 20, 2022, marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the trials of medical professionals at Nuremberg. Central principles and fundamental rights were enshrined as a result of the trials, which were then encoded in international law, domestic laws, and the codes of ethics followed by institutional review boards in US universities, the […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Canadian Anthropology and Cultural Imperialism: Criticisms

Is there a Canadian anthropology or is it just anthropology in Canada? If it is “anthropology in Canada,” then from where has it been imported? If what we are doing is primarily US anthropology, then what are we importing when we do US anthropology in Canada? How do we do US anthropology in Canada? Does […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

US Anthropology: Political, Professional, Personal, Imperial

Part One of: “Canadian Anthropology or Cultural Imperialism?” Recent events have called into question how a discipline can be commanded on an international plane, and represented in a singular and universal fashion. Those events are useful for inviting meditation on questions of national traditions, the power to globalize a claim to preeminence over other national […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Debating the End of the Human Terrain System, Part 2

Part 1 ended with the observation that what might not stand out from the various debate positions on HTS, is the underlying unity that existed between the main lines of debate. As a result, certain opportunities for further developing critical analysis were lost, as I suggested back in 2013. This is what I turn to […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

BDS, the AAA, and Academic Imperialism

We Disagree to Agree Support for a particular cause can come from numerous sources and points of view, each representing different interests. Similarly, people can arrive at the site of a demonstration, united in protest against an injustice, having arrived there from many different routes (whether the routes are understood in terms of physical transportation, […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Weaponizing Anthropology: An Overview

Weaponizing Anthropology: Social Science in Service of the Militarized State. By David H. Price. Published by CounterPunch and AK Press, Petrolia and Oakland, CA, 2011. ISBN-13: 9781849350631. 219 pages. For students already in anthropology and those interested in perhaps becoming anthropology students, for those researching the history and political economy of the social sciences, and […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

The End of Debates About the Human Terrain System?

The End of Debates? Having been asked (and declined) to write commentaries, or respond to one or another essay on the Human Terrain System (HTS) over the past 18 months, I realized that I had enough, and had said enough that it did not warrant repetition. However, unlike others who said their piece, I might […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

A Major Report of a Minor Exception, or a Minor Report of a Major Problem? The American Anthropological Association’s CEAUSSIC vis-à-vis the Human Terrain System–Part 2

…CONTINUED FROM PART 1 We continue the discussion of the American Anthropological Association’s Commission on the Engagement of Anthropology with the U.S. Security and Intelligence Communities (CEAUSSIC) which released its “Final Report on the Army’s Human Terrain System Proof of Concept Program,” in early December of 2009. Though not a comprehensive summary, nor a thorough […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

A Major Report of a Minor Exception, or a Minor Report of a Major Problem? The American Anthropological Association’s CEAUSSIC vis-à-vis the Human Terrain System–Part 1

When the American Anthropological Association’s Commission on the Engagement of Anthropology with the U.S. Security and Intelligence Communities (CEAUSSIC) released its “Final Report on the Army’s Human Terrain System Proof of Concept Program,” in early December of 2009, there was a fair bit of media coverage that zeroed in on one paragraph in particular: When […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Time Line and FAQ for the Human Terrain System and Responses by the Network of Concerned Anthropologists and the American Anthropological Association

Knee Jerks, and Just Plain Jerks Recently on Savage Minds a number of uninformed assertions have been voiced by some commentators, to the effect that both the Network of Concerned Anthropologists (NCA) and the American Anthropological Association (AAA) instantaneously condemned the Human Terrain System (HTS) in the same month that it was publicly announced, allegedly […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

David Price: Human Terrain Systems Dissenter Resigns, Tells Inside Story of Training’s Heart of Darkness

Human Terrain Systems Dissenter Resigns, Tells Inside Story of Training’s Heart of Darkness: How U.S. Military Gameplans War on Greens Inside U.S.; “Ethical Concerns” a Bad Joke. By David Price CounterPunch February 15, 2010 I first came into contact with cultural anthropologist John Allison a couple of years ago when he invited me to join […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

AAA Ethics Code Changes & the Militarization of Anthropology: “Imperialism makes you a dick”

I think this post, “AAA Ethics Code Changes,” which deals with anthropological ethics especially in connection with the Human Terrain System and in other applied settings, is excellent for being very direct, concise, and gets straight to all of the most important points in the critical analysis of the Human Terrain System and its threats […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

More on Anthropological Research Ethics and Association Politics

A little more deserves to be noted about the current announcement by the American Anthropological Association’s plans to consider revising its code of ethics, a topic of importance given the extent to which that same code is used for teaching purposes even outside of the United States. Overall, I think that the suggested revisions are […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Minerva: Risks, Opportunities, Boycotts, and Mentally Handicapped Informants?

In the Washington Post article for which I was interviewed (I am the “but”, appropriately at the end), there was a suggestion that a project critical of U.S. foreign policy should be submitted to test the openness of the Minerva Research Initiative and its Pentagon-funded counterpart at the National Science Foundation. I do not recall […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Wired: Anthropologists Launch ‘Human Terrain’ Probe

This report in WIRED titled, “Anthropologists Launch ‘Human Terrain’ Probe” by David Axe was just published today. According to the reporter, “The American Anthropological Association, which represents some 10,000 social scientists, has launched a formal study of the Army’s controversial, year-old ‘Human Terrain System,’ which embeds civilian anthropologists in combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan.” […]