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Course Home E-mail the class Class discussion board FRIDAY HISTORICAL READINGS Oct 10: Pioneers Oct 17: Expertise Oct 24: Cliffords Oct 31: Danger Nov 7: El Dorado Nov 14: Emotions Nov 21: Natives M Dec 1: Assistants Dec 5: Summary MONDAY EXERCISES Sep 29: Experience Oct 6: Observation Oct 13: Interview Oct 20: Discomfort Oct 27: Formal Nov 3: Survey Nov 10: Photo Nov 17: Video Nov 24: Digital |
El Dorado! Let's plunge headlong into the most intense and vitriolic controversy about fieldwork and fieldwork ethics that has ever plagued the discipline of anthropology. I once taught a whole course on this, but for today we just get a sampling. Napoleon Chagnon did extensive fieldwork under trying circumstances among the Yanomami or Yanomamo in Venezuela and Brazil, wrote probably the best-selling anthropology book ever, and was widely accused of seriously unethical behavior in the field, something he resolutely denies.
Read the following: Then, by midnight on Thursday, Nov 6, post a comment of about 200 words on anything you want to say about the El Dorado issue. I don't think I need to give you much of a prompt, but please try to stay rational, don't just join the chorus of condemnations or the chorus of exonerations, and think of the wider implications of the controversy. |