|
|
Re: whither anthropology?
Ruby Rohrlich (rohrlich@GWIS2.CIRC.GWU.EDU)
Tue, 5 Dec 1995 21:26:45 -0500
Although I deplore the salary cuts and all the other hazards attending
college teaching these days, I agree that anthropology is very
inter-disciplinary, which is the basis of the four-fields approach,
especially the attempt to integrate the social and physical sciences.
Isn't that the way it was initially, before the breakdown into all the
various disciplines? Isuppose that was inevitable for analytical
purposes, but synthesis is even more important. All this is elementary,
my dear Watson. Ruby Rohrlich
On Tue, 5 Dec 1995, hjmartin wrote:
> With permission to re-post, this from Alan Smart:
>
> >Re: the challenges to anthropology from an international
> >perspective.
> >
> > In Canada, there are certainly tough times, but not
> >necessarily specifically for anthropology. In Alberta, we have
> >suffered through funding cuts of 21% over three years, and now in
> >Ontario it looks like their cuts will be even sharper under the
> >new Conservative government. This situation can definitely
> >endanger departments of anthropology, particularly smaller ones
> >where mergers are undertaken as a response. However, one
> >response seems to be the encouragement of greater
> >interdisciplinary cooperation, and it seems to me that
> >anthropologists have inherent advantages in such circumstances,
> >because most of us have little alternative to being
> >interdisciplinary in our outlook (unless we ignore the majority
> >of the research undertaken on our topics in most cases,
> >particularly for those of us doing research in urban and/or
> >western settings).
> >Alan Smart
> >Department of Anthropology
> >University of Calgary
> >
>
> Jim Martin
>
|