Pushing back against Islamophobia

My daughter (readers of the blog know that she is a college student at the University of Texas) is in Beirut. She is in an intensive summer Arabic program at American University in Beirut. She has, also, been doing some research for her senior honors thesis in the History department at UT which she will be completing this coming year. I am very proud of her.

Back home, when I share that information, I am greeted with the type of comments and looks that define the world of an anthropologist outnumbered and outgunned in Texas, America, U.S.A....all the way....

Let's tell this one through visual culture, today. Here is what they are thinking:

and here she is in Beirut:

So far, so good. But then the summer is still young. Plenty of time for her to acquire a few labels. /sarcasm.

Seriously, though. I have the care of her car and I was pleased to find that she left behind some of her CD's acquired at UT. My current favorite is by Omar Offendum, a Syrian-American poet and rapper. I am trying to figure out ways to integrate his work into my Cultural class. Here is some of his work courtesy of YouTube. The first is a somewhat personal expression of the bicultural/bilingual realities of being an Arab-American. Some of you may recognize Paul Anka's Destiny being used here as the driving tract. Paul Anka was of Syrian/Lebanese descent:

Here is a clip of one of his live performances of Damascus:

And here he is performing his poetry which allows you to appreciate the beauty and complexity of his lyrical construction:

I speak no Arabic but this Arabic language version of Langston Hughes' The Negro Speaks of Rivers moves me as much as the original poem:

I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

More to come....
Edited 10:20 to replace incomplete video posting with two live performance selections.

Out with the Old and in with the New

On our traditional day of reflection and hang-over recovery, I hope everyone has a chance to head on over to Neuroanthropology for the wonderfully comprehensive and entertaining "Best of Anthro 2008".

We have all done very well. Carry on.

Mama Africa goes home

Maybe today of all days, we should pause and appreciate the beauty to be had on this earth.


"I just told the world the truth, and if the truth then becomes political, I can't do anything about that."--Miriam Makeba

Power to the People: Right On! Queing up for the Vote

I can't help it. I am completely addicted to the election. I can barely focus on Anthropology long enough to give a lecture. And I must suppress urges to post either long rants or hopeful, optimistic school-girl blatherings about my country. In the latter category, a diarist on the Daily Kos has put together a nice photo retrospective, entitled Why We Stand In Line to Vote. It starts with the image to the left, South Africans in Soweto lining up to vote for the first time. Its a lovely collection of memories and moments. Have a look.

I was saddened to hear of Studs Terkel's death. As a one-time Chicagoan and oral historian and a full time human, I admired him greatly.

Calling All "Real Anthropologists": moving from pepto bismol to Keith Hart, definitely a case of rapid rising

Well, Batman, it looks like our work here is not done. Michele Bachmann (yes, her of the "bring back the McCarthy era" fame) has been having a good time with her discriminatory views, easy labeling, and even lazier interpretations of a wider world for quite some time. Check out her arguments for the 2005 riots in France:



What is really great about this bit of nauseating drivel is that it provides an awesome Teachable Moment!!!! Because the Social Science Research Council has a terrific teaching module dedicated to the subject. I hope students have a great time critiquing the heck out of this nimnut.

Should any of you feel compelled to donate large amounts of money to me to oppose her viewpoints, rest assured, my checkbook is at your disposal. I just need to get those charity tax-sheltered forms completed and we will be good to go. Just kidding... I think. At least I can safely promise I won't be needlessly wasting your donations at Neiman's. I'll be rubbing shoulders with real plumbers at the Home Depot.

(BTW, I am a little disturbed that her Pepto Bismol pink self is covering up my lovely green profile. I am afraid to mess with the embedded code, though, so, we will suffer through. I mean, after all, her fifteen minutes of fame are about up; wouldn't you say?)

Edited to add. And for those of you who need a higher level justification of, exactly, why Anthropologists should be standing front and center in discussing these issues, I point you to a Keith Hart blog post on the French riots from two years, ago, where he, once again, argues intelligently and elegantly, for that perspective. Transforming this Teachable Moment into an Inspirational Bit.

Blog Action Day: Poverty: "It's no longer a fair game. The referee is biased. The field itself is dry."

Today is Blog Action Day. An action designed to remind us all of the unjustness of a world in which poverty is permitted to exist. A world were exploitation reigns, hidden by the smoke and mirrors of greed and immorality. Being an Anthropologist, I leave it to the words of others to speak their pain, anger, and frustration. Faza Nelly, born as Nelson Buchard, (unfortunately, now deceased) of X Plastaz, can tell you far more effectively than I, how hunger, disenfranchisement, and injustice feel. Watch the video here.



The words he sings are translated here:

Nini dhambi kwa mwenye dhiki?

Translated from Swahili into English - original lyrics by Nelson Buchard for X Plastaz

What's the offense of the poor?
All my people
East Africa
Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya
Dar es Salaam, A town
Wherever you are
Kneel and pray to God
Is this politics, religion, tyranny, slavery, judgement day, Sodom and Gomorrah?
Hold on strong, take a look around each corner
Left, right, front, back, make sure you look everywhere
And if you persist, just listen and be patient, so that you won’t regret later on

This goes out to my people
The cripple, blind, albinos and the insane
Street children, beggars, the poor and those who are mentally sane
This is a thick rope
You should know that we are pulling it against those in power
Fat bellies and cheeks
It’s no longer a fair game
The referee is biased
The field itself is dry
Work is hard to find, payment is little
What’s left is to play the hard way
We’re tired of the upper class, capitalism and dictatorship
This is the time
This is the redemption
And I order that those who are down must get that wine
I tighten the strap of your opponents
I pour poison over them
So that they will scratch themselves without shame
First of all, a salute to those who passed away before us
Second, let’s pray to God
Our father, please give us our daily bread
Fill us with strength
So that we can succeed in the game
When we pass away, the day of judgement
Give us the chance to regret
Because we know that we act evil
We eat forbidden fruits
We use every possible method
Juju or crime...
So that we can get food & clothing
But that shouldn’t be a reason for other people to be robbed of their rights
To prevent us from fulfilling our destiny
To call us infidels and insult us
Because what’s the offense?

Chorus:
What’s the offense of the poor
What’s wrong, what is right
Everyone just wants his destiny
Riddle: stir up the match
You can’t look into the future


Why? Ask the question, if we would all be intellectuals and rich
Who would do the dirty and dangerous work like working in the mortuary
Everyone here in town came for a ‘business’
Everything and everywhere
And even a human skin is for sale
Others are fake witches and wizards
Conmen, illegal travellers
While others are gentle-mannered like the Born-again Christians
In the afternoon offices are buzzing
While the night is hard, prostitutes,
Sugar daddies, criminals, and other things to be covered up
There are those who died when fighting for their lives
Their memories have remained in the graveyard
And there’s those who lost the hope that they will ever win
You’d think they have taken their souls out of mortgage
When they stop you in the road
You have to give them your last remaining salary for this month

(Chorus)

Really, in Tanzania it’s a matter of finding your way
You will regret when you find out that you don’t even have a pair of shorts
Your decision, just hold it like a goalkeeper
And those who you’d depend on until the end will let you drown
You’re not educated, don’t have any special talent
But strength, tongue, economy you have it, you sit on it
Remember
To gain and to loose, it’s all normal
Sometimes you sleep and dream and eat
You drink, you French kiss
And make love to a lovely girl
To your surprise you find that the place is empty
There’s nothing

(Chorus, Yamat singing a traditional Maasai song)

Copyright - Lyrics by X Plastaz – Rumba-Kali publishing

(Fellow Anthropology Profs: I use this video in class. Students enjoy it and seem to relate to it.)

Its an African Story

TED has released some more of its talks. I enjoyed this one by Ory Okolloh: on becoming an African activist.

It has many teachable moments. I regret that she is only able to briefly touch on these moments because of the short time frame she is given. 15 minutes is not nearly enough time with her.

She opens using the tragedies of her own life as an example of the way we have of portraying Africa as the "victim" continent. The painful story of the loss of her father is "an African story". I borrow that phrase (and the blog title) from the movie Dirty, Pretty Things, which has the admirable main character, Okwe, (illegally) working his way back to his native Nigeria having experienced a wrenching personal loss which he labels "an African story". It is difficult to speak with any African, educated or not, rich or poor, who has not experienced tragedy of this magnitude. And yet, no human wants to be defined, solely by that experience. Nor does Okolloh want us to view Africa through the victim lens.

She touches briefly on the issue when she stops on a picture of Gwyneth Paltrow, sporting some face paint and bearing the caption, "I am an African." Succinctly she comments, "No, you are not." It was a powerful and delightful moment.

She moves on to discuss the Swahili Wikipedia---consisting of the contributions of 4 white men and one African. (Tanzanian students will have little to read on the Internet, even if they can afford the access. She issues a challenge to Africans to step up to the plate and contribute but I can't help but want to invoke the victim explanation for this problem. We are the ones with more than enough free time. There are no chickens in my back yard needing tending to ensure my survival.

Here is an older source discussing the founding of the (Ki)Swahili Wikipedia.

She, also, discusses the very real dilemma of educated Africans who face pressure to remain in the lands they have gone to to be educated to get the high-paying job and send money home. She stands tall at having made the difficult choice of turning her back on the big paycheck and stopping the brain drain, having returned to her native Kenya to help build a future for her daughter.

The nicest parts of the talk are the ways she is able to bring an African perspective to a wider audience. I loved her judgments and pronouncements--which, basically, all stemmed from her rightful desire to present her view of her continent, rather than accept the spin of the "bleeding heart liberals". Just lovely.

BTW, if you haven't seen the TED talk on William and his windmill that she references, you must. It is inspirational and humbling.

An His/Herstorical Wiki?

56 years of student desk graffiti. The original model for student discourse is being celebrated as they prepare to renovate one of the (admittedly ugly) but much loved main classroom buildings at my alma mater. Its worth a look and a thought when you click on the slide show here.

Really Neat (and poignantly beautiful) Stuff

If you scroll down, you will find I have added a new blog roll entitled:

Voices of Kenya's Vulnerable Children and Youth

Thanks to the Kenyan Pundit for alerting us all to this remarkable work (asante sana, ndugu). As part of an Advocacy Project endeavor in conjunction with the Undugu Society of Kenya (USK), 17 Kenyan students have posted stories and pictures about their lives. You will find all their blogs in this blog roll.

Cutting and pasting the words of their facilitator Kristina Rosinsky:

A total of 17 students are involved with the training. Nine were chosen from USK’s Education and Training program, which helps poor and marginalized children attain an education and gain practical vocational skills. The other eight were chosen from USK’s Street Associations, which are groups of children and youth living and/or working on the streets.

Their heartfelt stories and stunning pictures are simply beautiful. It is a wonderful gift to see the world through the eyes and voices of this talented group. It seems Kristina has spent the summer setting up the program in Kenya. I hope the students and USK are able to continue the endeavor. I would like for my own students to engage with this work when they return in the Fall.

Quite some time ago, I visited several street children's homes in Tanzania. I published an article about one of the children I met at that time in an introductory anthropology reader which is now out of print. I would be happy to provide a pdf of the article for anyone who would like some background into the issues in an African context. Just email me.

Corn Today; Hair Tomorrow

Recently, my monthly alumni enewsletter arrived in my inbox with the funnest article and associated video. The piece explores the work of "The Hair Detective", an organic chemist at the University of Virginia (Go 'Hoos!). Stephen Macko uses hair samples to determine the probable diet of an individual. Among his fascinating finds are the differences to be found between the Moche ruling elite versus their sacrificial victims. It seems protein analysis of the remains of the Moche elite shows a diet marked by the heavy consumption of corn-based animal protein (llama) whereas the supposed sacrificial victims found at Moche sites show more extensive consumption of aquatic proteins, thus, arguing for a coastal origin of these individuals. Different diets, different populations? Or Marie Antoinette, saying "let them eat fish"? Food for thought.

Here is the You Tube description of his work:

Among the dinosaur bones and 4.5-billion-year-old meteorites on the shelves of Stephen Macko's office are tiny plastic containers that hold hair samples from the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, George Washington, Oetzi the iceman and Diane Sawyer.

An odd assembly, perhaps, but locked within each strand are clues about appetites both ancient and modern. Hair functions as a nuanced physical record of diet over time, "much like a tape recording," says Macko, a U.Va. professor of environmental sciences. He applies the tools of organic chemistry to solve mysteries in fields as diverse as anthropology, nutrition and agricultural policy. How did the lifestyles of ancient Egyptian nobility differ from the lower classes? How accurate are the ingredient lists on product labels? Did Poe's peculiar poetry arise from pollutants in the air he was breathing? Do Americans eat too much corn?

For the full article (The UVAMagazine) click here and enjoy. Or go straight to the video on You Tube.

The whole article conjures up such fond memories of trekking to Clark Hall (one of the more interesting building on campus--once you become desensitized to Jefferson's Rotunda and the beauties of the Lawn) to nervously try to successfully pass the environmental science classes that my adviser, Steve Plog, recommended I take. Principles of Ecology nearly did me in. But what a lovely experience to see the genuine joy these scientists take in using their skill set to advance knowledge outside their own disciplines. True academic camaraderie and the joy of learning.

File this one under Inspirational Bits and Teachable Moments

Follow the article through to the end and you will discover that, today, we eat corn and high fructose corn syrup, and more corn. It would appear that we are comprised almost entirely of corn. How many corny jokes am I avoiding? On the strength of this piece, I have ordered the documentary King Corn. It comes highly recommended from a variety of sources. More after viewing.

Keith Hart: Anthropology and Globalis(z)ation Lecture

I found this recent posting on You Tube of a Keith Hart lecture: it is posted in five parts: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five. He is clearly uncomfortable with the technology but if you can get beyond your own discomfort watching his discomfort, it is worth the effort. In the end, he makes a really nice argument for the need to approach anthropological issues by avoiding the middle-range of social categorization: like ethnic group, class, gender, culture or even the nation-state. Hart has been one of those who have seized on the realization that what has been called the era of "national capital" is quickly passing us by as large corporations extend far beyond the economic and organizational boundaries of the nation-state.

But where does this lead anthropology and our chosen domain of ethnography?

He advocates more fluid forms of inclusion of the human experience; perhaps by focusing on the story of individuals as they experience these changes. Referencing two well-know and widely-assigned undergraduate works: Shostak's Nisa and Mintz' Worker in the Cane as examples, he argues that incorporating the real human stories of individuals may allow anthropology to push its way out of the categories we have been bound by. When I think of my own dissertation work, it is always the individual stories that stand out and have meaning for me and my students. I have hopes of adding these stories to this blog from time to time with the goal of sharing those bits which have moved knowledge forward in my classes.

I have found Hart's blog (which accompanies his latest book: The Memory Bank: Money in an Unequal World).

Here

I can't wait to poke around. He is such an original thinker.