Missed these postings first time around. Don't know much about the late geneticist Neel, but Chagnon is notorious. Apparently a hero to many sociobiology-types, he's seen by most in anthropology as something between a creep and a joke, whose most criminal activity til now was cranking out primitivist tripe of extraordinary market value.
Of course in a better world it would be someone like Terry Turner, co-author of the galvanizing email and also a researcher among Amazonian indigenous groups, who would be known to folks outside anthropology and Chagnon the inconnu. Turner is a highly regarded scholar and indigenous rights activist, and a quality human being. (Moreover in his analyses on globalization he's been known to approvingly cite that illustrious author, Doug Henwood.) It's good to know Turner will be at the center of the impending in-house inquests. While it's possible the scandal might serve as lightning rod for antagonisms rife in anthropology, I doubt it augurs the shaking of the disciplinary core hinted at in the email. That Chagnon, already relegated to the margins, will likely be relegated to an even more lunatic fringe should be a good thing for the discipline, the reading public and -- ojalà -- the Yanomami.
Meanwhile, in an email Chagnon has circulated to drum up support, he says he's hired a lawyer from the country's top publication/libel-issues firm to consider a suit against Tierney and his publisher. He also mentions that, in light of the imminent publication of the New Yorker's Tierney article (slated for Oct. 1), they are negotiating with its publisher :
"...in such a way that his journal avoids a libel lawsuit and I/we avoid being libelously accused in the New Yorker article this document mentions. He is willing to publish my side of the story as a component in the article by Tierney. ...[The lawyer] also happens to be a good friend of the editor at the New Yorker and urges me to try to work out some non-adversarial solution to the impending scandal, and also assures me that the New Yorker's offer to do this is almost unprecedented in their publishing history. So, I will be in contact again with the Editor of the New Yorker tomorrow to explore further his apparently unusual offer."
So it will be interesting to see how much bite the New Yorker piece will in fact have, in light of Chagnon's access to legal muscle and social networks. (Nuclear scientists of Asian descent should be so lucky.) From Chagnon's side I suppose we will again hear (a la Bell Curve) about delusional leftists whose ideologies imperil pure science, and (just a guess) of Marxist bloodthirst lying behind the accusations.
Meanwhile the AAA, fearing entanglement in expensive litigation, is referring the press to their low-key official statement which follows.
Maureen
***
American Anthropological Association Statement on
Allegations made in the Book Darkness in El Dorado:
The American Anthropological Association is aware of the publication of the book Darkness in El Dorado by Patrick Tierney. The book makes serious allegations against particular anthropologists, other scientists, and journalists who have studied or worked with the Yanomami people of Venezuela. The AAA is extremely concerned about these allegations. If proven true they would constitute a serious violation of Yanomami human rights and our Code of Ethics.
Establishing ethical guidelines for anthropologists to use in their research and work, especially responsibility to the subjects who they study, has been a chief concern of the anthropological community since the 1960s. In response to these concerns, the AAA developed a Code of Ethics which sets forth guidelines for anthropologists to use in the conduct of their research and work. A key element of the Code addresses the responsibility of anthropological researchers to the people which they study. The Code states:
"Anthropological researchers must do everything in their power to ensure that their research does not harm the safety, dignity, or privacy of the people with whom they work."
"Anthropological researchers have primary ethical obligations to the people they study"
The AAA has also worked to protect indigenous peoples by raising public awareness of the problems they face. The AAA has been acutely aware of the harm suffered by the Yanomami at the hands of gold miners and timber interests, who have brought disease and pollution. Since the 1970s, AAA has issued public statements on the imperiled situation of the Yanomami and indigenous peoples of Latin America. In 1979 and 1991, the AAA called for the creation of a Yanomami Reserve in Northern Brazil. The Brazilian Government created the Yanomami Reserve in 1992.
This book presents the views, conclusions and opinions of its author. It is extremely important, however, that other individuals featured in the book be afforded the opportunity to express their own views on its contents. Until there is a full and impartial review and discussion of the issues raised in the book, it would be unfair to express a judgement about the specific allegations against individuals that are contained in it. The Association is anticipating conducting an open forum during our Annual Meeting to provide an opportunity for our members to review and discuss the issues and allegations raised in the book.