Savage Minds Around the Web
Happy holidays, here’s a short round-up of what’s been going on/line.
Samuel Huntington (1927-2008): Huntington, 81, died December 24. The political scientist’s polemical The Clash of Civilizations was certainly a thorn in the side of many sociocultural anthropologists. But his supposition that cultural antagonism would be the most important factor in international politics has had a clear impact on the foreign politics of the last 8 years. Read more on Huntington at Harvard’s website or The New York Times.
Hybridity Gets Virtual: NPR Fresh Air host Terry Gross interviewed Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig on the slow reaction of U.S. industries and government to new medias and technologies, and a new conception of creativity and intellectual property. Click here for the podcast.
Science of the Times: Sean at Cosmic Variance wrote about Elizabeth Alexander, the poet invited to speak at Barack Obama’s innauguration. Sean discusses Alexander’s most famous poem about Saartjie Baartman (referred to historically as the ‘Hottentot Venus’) and reads the poem as a humanist critique of the sciences. Of course, there is a criticism, to be made about the racism of many earlier evolutionary theories of human origins and biology (and an invitation to be always vigilant and critical of our current theoretical models). It is a shame, however, that Sean doesn’t address the ethics of Baartman’s inhumane treatment in the name of science. (See also Ta-Nehisi Coates’s blog post from the Atlantic.)
Finally, tis the season… for ‘Best of 2008′ lists (Best of Savage Minds ‘08, to come shortly). National Geographic brings you Top Ten Animal Finds, Real Climate brings you the climate change books of 2008, and, of course, there is still time to submit your favorite Anthro blog of 2008 on neuroanthropology. But it was this one at Diekenes Anthropology Blog on the return of biology to ethnicity in physical anthropology, that seems to be the most controversial. And for good reason, one finds, as they read the comments.
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