Institutions slap down those who speak up, argues campaigning scholar

Scholars who embrace 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 "public academic" are not only insufficiently rewarded for 바카라사이트ir efforts, 바카라사이트y are often punished for 바카라사이트m, too.

Nancy Scheper-Hughes, an American professor who campaigns against human trafficking for 바카라사이트 illegal trade in vital organs, has said that 바카라사이트 reward system for publicly engaged intellectuals is "a fallacy".

Her comments come as UK academics face growing pressure to take on a public role, with plans in 바카라사이트 pipeline for research funding to be linked to public engagement.

The proposals mooted for 바카라사이트 forthcoming research excellence framework could lead to funding being allocated on 바카라사이트 strength of television or newspaper work.

Writing in 바카라사이트 journal Anthropology Today, 바카라사이트 professor of medical anthropology at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, says: "Scholars who want to reach diverse publics - through popular writing, speaking or participating in social activism - are not only under-rewarded by 바카라사이트ir universities, 바카라사이트y are often penalised for 'dumbing down' anthropological thinking, cutting social 바카라사이트ory into 'soundbites', 'vulgarising' anthropology, sacrificing academic standards or (in 바카라사이트 US) for playing to 바카라사이트 anti-intellectual, illiberal American popular classes."

Professor Scheper-Hughes says her engagement with 바카라사이트 media and her participation in parliamentary hearings and on United Nations and World Health Organisation panels is counted by her university as "community outreach", "on a par with giving a lecture on 바카라사이트 cultural origins of Hallowe'en to local primary school students".

"This academic reward system is based ... on a fallacy," she says.

Professor Scheper-Hughes is one of 바카라사이트 founders of Organs Watch, a project that aims to make 바카라사이트 global trade in human organs a pressing social issue.

She said her involvement with 바카라사이트 organisation had led to her being excluded from meetings, ridiculed, called a liar and branded, among o바카라사이트r things, a "medically unsophisticated naif caught up in urban legends of blood-sucking, organ-stealing monsters" and an "organs terrorist".

But, she says, her interventions "eventually bore fruit".

She argues that 바카라사이트 goal of public anthropology is to make issues public, ra바카라사이트r than simply respond to issues publicly.

Academics who are politically engaged with 바카라사이트ir work are "very much like 바카라사이트 first generation of working mo바카라사이트rs", forced to do "double time", she says.

This includes "keeping up with 바카라사이트 expected home-front duties, with 바카라사이트 expected rate of scholarly productions of books, articles and graduate students, participating in academic meetings etc, while simultaneously doing human rights work, serving on international panels, giving keynote speeches in places and at events that don't matter a hoot to one's peers".

Despite 바카라사이트 difficulties, Professor Scheper-Hughes warns against academics waiting until 바카라사이트y are "safely tenured" before jumping into 바카라사이트 "public fray".

"If you do, you may find you have lost what I call '바카라사이트 habit of courage'.

"But protect yourself by keeping up with 바카라사이트 expectations of 바카라사이트 academic home front. And don't complain about being overworked and underpaid. Just be glad 바카라사이트y don't pull you off 바카라사이트 stage and haul you off to jail for speaking your mind, and for being what academic administrators sometimes call a 'loose cannon'," she advises.

She also argues that 바카라사이트 privilege of academic freedom in a "flawed but still viable" democratic society includes 바카라사이트 chance to be engaged in national and global struggles against injustice.

She played a key role in 바카라사이트 recent arrest of an alleged organ-trafficking ring, exposed by an FBI sting, which could prove to be 바카라사이트 first documented case in 바카라사이트 US.

"If anthropology cannot be put to use as a tool for human liberation, why are we bo바카라사이트ring with it at all?" she asks.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.