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Re: AMERICA BC by Barry Fell
Mr. E (jackechs@EROLS.COM)
Thu, 8 Feb 1996 16:47:54 -0500
Thanks for all of the responses ... especially the detailed ones. I'm
getting the impression that Barry Fell has taken the credit from the Native
Americans living here if and given it to his Old World vistors. Funny, when
I started contemplating Phoenicians, Libyans, etc. I started wondering what
the Natives taught them.
At 08:27 AM 02/08/96 -0600, David T. Hughes wrote:
>
>On Wed, 7 Feb 1996, Mr. E wrote:
>
>> Has anyone read this book (AMERICA BC by Barry Fell)? If so what is your
>yes.
>
>> opinion? If you haven't read it, but know of Barry Fell (jacket cover
>
>Netiquette constrains my response, but I do find his conclusions, umm,
>interesting if not enlightening and challenging although of dubious
>accuracy. I actually use it some in my Intro to Arch class -- primarily
>as examples of misleading logic and inappropriate use of carefully
>selected data without full discussion of alternative interpretations.
>
>The concern I have encountered is that in two states various educators
>of the public schools have made attempts to adopt _America B.C._ as THE
>final answer on many American Indian questions. My problem with that,
>other than the at times gross inaccuracies and inadequacies of basic
>text, is that by being hyper-diffusionist (of the grand sort just short
>of van Danikenism) it denies the inherent creativity of the people and
>implies that there is some sort of incapacity to the Indians who were
>being contacted -- potentially reviving (albeit subtly) many of the old
>racist debates.
>
>> refers to him as a Professor at Harvard) what is your opinion?
>
>I have no opinion of him as a Professor at Harvard. I suspect that he is
>not in the Dept. of Anthropology at Harvard.
>
>regards
>
>David T. Hughes, Ph.D.
>Dept. of Anthropology
>Wichita State University
>
>
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