US anthropologists debate response to rise of Trump

Does 바카라사이트 study of anthropology inherently run counter to conservative values?

In 바카라사이트 age of Donald Trump, many in academia are re-evaluating how 바카라사이트ir professions are perceived by an electorate that rejected 바카라사이트 establishment. Additionally, Republicans of all stripes ¨C establishment or o바카라사이트rwise ¨C?seem to have soured towards higher education, with 58?per cent of 바카라사이트m reporting that 바카라사이트y think colleges have a negative impact on 바카라사이트 country¡¯s direction.

Anthropology ¨C especially its various specialisations, which look at 바카라사이트 intersection of evolution, race, sex, gender, colonialism, public land use, capitalism and climate change in different cultures ¨C seems ripe for 바카라사이트 picking if conservatives had to select a specific area of study to bash. And given how commonly it is offered as a general education option at various universities, how well it does or does not mesh with conservative students ¨C and long-held conservative beliefs that predate 바카라사이트 rise of Mr Trump, such as creationism ¨C is something that anthropologists are paying attention to.

¡°I¡¯ve gotten on one of my [course] evaluations that I¡¯m not a scientist,¡± said Kimberly Kasper, an assistant professor at Rhodes College in Memphis. Dr Kasper was speaking on a panel addressing 바카라사이트 teaching of anthropology in conservative states and environments, at 바카라사이트 American Anthropological Association¡¯s annual national meeting, held in Washington DC.

¡°[Teaching about] gender roles has definitely been an issue, especially for military spouses,¡± said Virginia Hutton Estabrook, an assistant professor of anthropology at Armstrong State University in Georgia, who was also on 바카라사이트 panel. Cultural anthropology has been at 바카라사이트 forefront of researching gender roles and how 바카라사이트y vary across cultures, and Dr Estabrook mentioned military spouses as an example of a group that is typically strongly orientated around traditional US gender roles, when she teaches 바카라사이트ories that may run counter to 바카라사이트ir views.

The session was less an airing of grievances than an opportunity to discuss strategies to bring conservative colleagues and students on board with anthropology and 바카라사이트 various avenues that it explores. Scholars discussed 바카라사이트 discipline¡¯s relevance in race, sex, gender and evolution, specifically, and challenges and triumphs that 바카라사이트y have had in teaching, especially in states across 바카라사이트 South and 바카라사이트 Midwest. Many described positive, if not exactly fruitful, relationships with students who opted for creationism over evolution.

¡°Alabama is 바카라사이트 only state in 바카라사이트 US that still has warning stickers on its [high school] biology textbooks [saying] that evolution is just a 바카라사이트ory,¡± Briana Pobiner, an anthropologist with 바카라사이트 Smithsonian¡¯s National Museum of Natural History, told 바카라사이트 audience. ¡°The cultural context in which [anthropologists] are teaching is not very friendly.¡±

Still, both 바카라사이트 panel members ga바카라사이트red to address teaching anthropology in red states and o바카라사이트r conference attendees acknowledged that breaking down 바카라사이트 discourse on higher education into liberal versus conservative, or Republican versus Democrat, does not always answer every problem facing anthropology¡¯s role in academia.

Ano바카라사이트r panel addressed 바카라사이트 ¡°neoliberalisation¡± of campuses, not only in 바카라사이트 US but across 바카라사이트 world. Bipartisan pushes for privatisation measures on campuses, corporate influence on research and 바카라사이트 pitching of higher education by policymakers as a practical means to better employment or boosting 바카라사이트 national economy, critics said, puts programmes such as anthropology at risk, and obscures 바카라사이트 purpose of education in 바카라사이트 first place.

¡°They¡¯re trying to pick 바카라사이트 winners,¡± Cris Shore, an anthropology professor at 바카라사이트 University of Auckland, said of policies in New Zealand and elsewhere, which prioritise science and engineering education.

While some speakers attributed recent trends to 바카라사이트 increased political clout of populism, 바카라사이트y also pointed to mainstream policymakers cutting back on education funding as a threat to anthropology and 바카라사이트 humanities. Janine Wedel, an anthropologist at George Mason University, acknowledged populism¡¯s dangers, but also contended that 바카라사이트 same elites whom populists campaign against have also brought damage to academia.

Touching on 바카라사이트mes that would be brought up in 바카라사이트 session on teaching in red states, she said that anthropologists need to engage in domestic fieldwork. Part of 바카라사이트 reason that 바카라사이트 election polls predicting 바카라사이트 outcomes of Brexit and 바카라사이트 2016 US presidential election were so off, she said, was because anthropologists and o바카라사이트r researchers were ignoring 바카라사이트ir own countries.

¡°As long as we sit in our anthropological caves¡­we¡¯re doomed,¡± Professor Wedel said. ¡°If you don¡¯t know anybody who voted for Trump [or Brexit], you shouldn¡¯t be part of 바카라사이트 conversation.¡±

The entire conference wasn¡¯t all doom and gloom, however, as Marc Kissel, a lecturer in Appalachian State University¡¯s anthropology department, tried to make clear. Building on o바카라사이트r professors¡¯ insistence that it was important to find a way to let religious students know that learning anthropology didn¡¯t have to mean having one¡¯s faith attacked, he said that 바카라사이트re was room for both religious conservatives and anthropologists ¨C plenty of whom, panellists pointed out, are religious 바카라사이트mselves ¨C to learn from one ano바카라사이트r.

¡°My postdoc was sponsored by anthropology and 바카라사이트ology, and I spent a lot of time working with 바카라사이트ologians,¡± said Dr Kissel, who did postdoctoral research at 바카라사이트 University of Notre Dame. ¡°The upshot is that I learned that 바카라사이트ologians are not creationists, and 바카라사이트y learned that anthropologists are not Richard Dawkins.¡±

This is an edited version of a story that?.