franz boas – ZERO ANTHROPOLOGY

Canada, First in Anthropology

As Canada commemorated its 150th anniversary on July 1st, 2017, it seemed appropriate to present a topic in the history of anthropology, and Canadian anthropology in particular, that has received little attention. It is understandable that what is presented below has received little attention among Canadians generally, who have other concerns, but not so understandable […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Anthropology: The Empire on which the Sun Never Sets (Part 3)

Within the question of the professionalisation of the discipline lies a still largely unexplored area of how Anthropology serves as a western, largely white, middle-class mode of ‘consumption’, specifically the consumption of knowledge about the world that has been ‘appropriately’ filtered, organized, and translated. Of course getting a degree in Anthropology is not just like any other form of consumption, just as it is not merely an expression of curiosity: the process results in formal certification.

by Maximilian C. Forte

Anthropology, Philanthropy, and Empire

Published yesterday in Dissident Voice, Michael Barker‘s article “Foundations and Anthropology in the United States,” could be very useful reading for students, those who may not be too familiar with the role of elites in shaping and founding key pillars of American anthropology, and members of the broader public. Speaking of the latter, this article […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Iraq 1492

IRAQ 1492 Reflecting on the (in)capacity of scholars, and even some indigenous leaders, to learn from the history they researched or the history they survived, I circulated a poem back in 2003 that juxtaposed the invasion of Iraq with Columbus’ invasion of the indigenous Caribbean. It was on a scholars’ listserv, from where it has […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

0.178: The Social Production of Science and Anthropology as Knowledge for Domination

The intellectual heritage of European expansion that we inherit as anthropologists – certainly not without modification and criticism – is again the subject in this series. If Immanuel Wallerstein explained which agendas became dominant with the institutionalization of the social sciences, with some notes on why they became dominant, Pierre Bourdieu provides some explanation as […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Anthropologists Against Human Terrain & Other Military Anthropology Abuses: On Facebook

A new Facebook group, Anthropologists Against Human Terrain & Other Military Anthropology Abuses, has been set up by Franz Boas. Alright, “Franz Boas.” When I joined on 15 March, it had 84 members. Today, a mere four days later, it has over 500 members. Join today, and let’s see this movement grow! Update: Since the […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Secrecy, Anonymity, Spying, and Lying: An Overview of the “Ethics” of HTS Infiltration (1.2)

Sir: In his war address to Congress, President Wilson dealt at great length on the theory that only autocracies maintain spies; that these are not needed in democracies. At the time that the President made this statement, the Government of the United States had in its employ spies of unknown number. I am not concerned […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Not Radical Enough: Disengaged Anthropology (1.5)

“The choice to rely … on cultural anthropologists in the rebuilding of a defeated enemy has particular resonance now as the United States struggles to rebuild a stable and viable Iraq. … As the occupation of Iraq appears more complex by the day, where are the new Ruth Benedicts, authoritative voices who will carry weight […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

“Models” of Anthropological Colonialism?

I have been considering the diverse ways in which a relationship exists between anthropology and colonialism, sketching some very rough ideas on this blog (as usual, I feel the need to apologize). In part this comes out of some productive engagements with essays written in ANTH 601 at Concordia University, to which I owe many […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

David Price: Anthropologists as Spies

The following is a selection of passages that I have marked out for special attention from David Price’s 2000 article in The Nation: On December 20, 1919, under the heading “Scientists as Spies,” The Nation published a letter by Franz Boas, the father of academic anthropology in America. Boas charged that four American anthropologists, whom […]