P U B L I C A F F A I R S May 2003 Anthropology News

growing anger and resentment in the Islamic world towards the US. Additionally, the US must make efforts to engage and appreciate Islamic cul- ture. Fourthly, Ahmed noted the importance of narrowing the economic gaps between the world’s richest and poorest nations. Ahmed, along with former diplomat Edward Walker, expressed support for Colin Powell and hope that hostilities would be reduced after Iraq begins to move towards democracy and civil society.

Identifying Remains of Migrants According to the US Border Patrol, more than 300 migrants die each year in the US along the Mexico border, about one-third anonymously. Those migrants whose identities are known are usually turned over to Mexican authorities; oth- ers are buried in particleboard caskets in paupers’ graves. In “Remains of Migrants Haunt DNA Expert” (Washington Post, April 21), Lee Hockstader reports how forensic anthropologist Lori Baker (Baylor LJ) would identify deceased through families. She proposes to exhume anonymous corpses of migrants, take a DNA m p l e from a tooth or bone fragment, enter it into a database and invite relatives of migrants who have d i s a p p e d to send in their own DNA in the form of a saliva swab or smear of blood. She hopes such efforts would lead to matches. While Hockstader lists logistical obstacles, such as getting the word about the project to migrants’ families and then overcoming any suspicions families might have, he does report that Baker has received enthusiastic response from initial contacts with local officials responsible for the disposal of unidentified bodies, particularly as she would finance her estimated $150,000 project through grants rather than charging counties. Z?

AAAsupporblncreased Funding for NSF and NEH The AAA supported increased funding for the National Sdence Foundation (NSF) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in Congressional testimony presented before and submitted to the US House of Representatives. Mary Margaret Overbey (AAA Government Relations Director) presented AAA testimony before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies on April 9. AAA advocated for an appropriation of $6.39 billion for NSF in fiscal year (FY) 2004. President Bush has requested an increase of $5.5 billion for NSF in FY 2004.

AAA submitted written testimony to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agendes on Apr 2. AAA recommended an appropriation of S 152 billion for NEH in FY 2004. This represents a 22% increase for the agency and is the amount requested in the administration’s proposed budget. AAA‘s NSF and NEH testimony are available on the web- site at: www.aaanet.org/gvt/nsf-fyO4.htm and www.aaanet.org/grt/neh-Ij@l. htm.

AN would like to know what you’ve been up to Did your local TV station interview you? Did the New York Times call7 Mail clippings or a summary of the interview to Stacy Lathrop, AAA, 2200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22201 -3357, slathropG3aaanet org

On Pins and Needles In “Mammy Dearest” (LA 7im, Mar 9) ELizabeth Chin (Occidental C) explored how a reproduc- tion of a m h y pincushion, offered in a home

decorating catalogue, represents deeply ingrained racism. The pincushion is presented as a whimsi- cal item, free of historical context. However, it is far from it as chin nutes, ‘ W s dangerous are the sentiments it represents: racism as down home and cozy; hatred as defanged ‘style’; genocidal impulse as accessory.” The presentation of items without examining context and consequences is akin to acceptance, she argues.

Revenge On March 10, the Dallas News covered anthropo- logical studies on revenge presented at the AAAS meeting in Denver in February. The news story “Revenge: What is It Good For?” reported on how anthropologists Stephen Beckerman (Pennsylvania State LJ), Lawrence Keeley (U of Illinois at Chicago), James Boster (U of Connecticut), and Paul Roscoe (U of Maine) are trying to understand the interplay among revenge, retaliation and human motives by ana- lyzing oral and written records on past tribal wars in New Guinea and Ecuador. Such research, according to the Dallas News, “suggests that when it comes to revenge, human intelligence ‘gone mad,’ perhaps, can spur people to do stupid things. And even when reason intervenes, human nature may urge you to strike back.” In addition, we’re told that reciprocity, “the give- and-take interchange that prompts you to return a favor,” may also provoke people to repay a blow. Human intelligence can also be used, said the Dallas News, “in ways to forestall aggression and set limits of reciprocal violence.” For instance, many tribes have elaborate rules about who, where, when and how revenge may be car- ried out. Reciprocity can be used to, wrote the Dallas News, to “build truces and contain unbri- dled violence,” by, for example, the exchange of food, labor and wives.

Gertrude Bell The Guardian (March 12), 77ze Daily Sun (March 22) and Sumby Sun (March 23), all ran versions of

the life of Gertrude Bell and her central role in the making of the modem Iraq state-its actual geog- raphy and the making of its first king. Bell, an archaeologist born in Washington state, and a later spy in Iraq during World War I for the British government, is seen by The Daily Sun as a woman whose “love for Iraq clashed with her pride for England”; because of her imperialism, her influ- ence on the first Iraq king finally dwindled. Yet, still some Iraqis, according to this paper, view her today “as a woman of the people.” The Sunday Sun sees Bell as a woman who “sowed the seeds of Iraqi conflict” by her “imperial carve-up” of Iraq. As every paper reported, late in her life, Bell turned away from politics, took up her old pas- sion for archaeology and founded the National Museum of Archaeology in Baghdad, later taking her own life.

Anthmpologists with Causes In “Professors Protest as Students Debate” (New York 7im, April 5), Kate &mike reported that the war on haq disclosed role reversals, “between professors shaped by Vietnam protests and a more conservative student body traumaiized by the attacks of Sept 11, 2001.’’ The media also re- ported on many instances where antiwar anthro- pology professors spoke at teach-ins and protests across the country. Perhaps one of the more thought-provoking articles is “Park the Cause in Harvard Yard” (Christian Science Moniw, April 15), where Elizabeth Armstrong prompted questions about whether “professors should promote diver- sity of thought in the classroom.” The piece re- ports on the work of Brian Palmer, who teaches one of Harvard’s most popular courses, “Globali- zation and Human Value: Envisioning a World Community.” During the war, Palmer, who took an anti-war stance in public speeches, and his class came under scrutiny in editorials by The National Rm’ew and Rush Limbaugh.

Palmer hosts guest speakers in his classe+ recent speakers include Noam Chomsky, Jamaica Kincaid, Peter Singer, Adam Yauch. During class, students pose 10 pre-selected questions before opening the floor to anyone. Palmer’s critics claim he is undemocratic in who is invited to speak and in his public speeches of his personal views outside of class. Palmer has replied, “He didn’t set out to exclude anyone based on their politics” and that “we still have far more diversi- ty than a course with just one lecturer.” Palmer said: “The emphasis at Harvard is too often how to climb one’s way to the top. One thing that dif- fers about this course is the sense of urgency guests and students bring to it. That suggests we might have to put aside personal ambitions and deal with matters that cannot wait.” While one of Palmer’s conservative students takes the course precisely because it is “propaganda,” many of his interviewed students claim Palmer’s class chal- lenges their views by the different backgrounds of speakers and the diverse content of their views, and that discussions have been “timely.”

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