Comments on: AAA Executive Board Resolution on HTS

By: Laurie King-Irani

Laurie King-Irani — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 04:48:00 +0000

My dues are paid up, but I didn’t get the message directly, but through a list serv. Not important how I got it, but great that the AAA “gets it”.

By: Jason Baird Jackson

Jason Baird Jackson — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:39:19 +0000

A moment ago I received a brief mass email from AAA signed by Alan Goodman announcing the HTS statement and directing members to the AAA blog for details and discussion.

By: Kerim

Kerim — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:31:36 +0000

I’m pretty sure they didn’t send it out to members.

By: Strong

Strong — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:30:33 +0000

I don’t think I received it either.

By: Rex

Rex — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:12:25 +0000

Heh, I literally “didn’t get the memo” from the AAA, although I’m a dues-paying member. Perhaps my spam filter knows something about them that I don’t…?

By: Kerim

Kerim — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 04:51:59 +0000

Yes, I noticed that the following quote seems to imply support of OA, even though we know that the AAA in fact opposed OA:

The Executive Board affirms that anthropology can and in fact is obliged to help improve U.S. government policies through the widest possible circulation of anthropological understanding in the public sphere

So while I share their sentiments, I wish their actions matched their rhetoric.

By: Jason Baird Jackson

Jason Baird Jackson — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 04:13:17 +0000

Thanks to Oneman and to Pat. Looking around a bit more, I have found the (a) new AAA blog, which opens with this topic. It is a blogger site to which (as of a few moments ago) 14 people have commented in discussion of the HTS statement. See:
http://aaanewsinfo.blogspot.com/

I was led to the blog (which I will probably find discussed in that recent AAA email…) via anthropology.net’s post on (against) the HTS statement. The anthropology.net author even brings AAA OA policy into his or her critique.

By: pat

pat — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:25:00 +0000

a notice was emailed to all aaa dues paying members in good standing (with listed emails).

this is a great move by the aaa.

By: oneman

oneman — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:20:31 +0000

Jason,

I got it from someone who said it was posted to the AAA’s “membernews” list (that name from memory, as my email isn’t in front of me at the moment).

By: Jason Baird Jackson

Jason Baird Jackson — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:16:34 +0000

At the risk of taking attention away from the main (and very important) point, many of us have been very interested in the technology and social organization of AAA communication (see the Wiley-Brown discussions). The URL for the HTS resolution (linked by Oneman) includes the element /blog/ which, as a regularly user of the AAA website, appears to be new to me. More immediately, I cannot find the HTS announcement linked to, or given as such, on the AAA homepage, thus I wonder (1) how is it (the link/the content) circulating to whom and (2) what to make of the /blog/ element?

A Google News search shows that Wired’s blog is running much of the notice and that it was posted eight hours ago. See:
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/11/anthropology-as.html

It must have gone to the media. Did it also go out to various AAA officers? Am I missing it somewhere on the website?

For myself, I am pleased with the board’s action, especially in a year when my faith in the possibility of an effective AAA has significantly ebbed.

By: Rex

Rex — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:57:20 +0000

Bravo to the AAA for this statement.

By: Phrank

Phrank — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:46:04 +0000

This is great thing. I’m so glad to see the AAA stand up for something and make such a clear statement against human terrain systems. The reasons listed in the statement are based on solid anthropological principles.

I suppose these programs will all go underground now, but at least the AAA has said they don’t want any part of this sort of anthropology.

Have any of the human terrain anthropologists made any comments on this?