Anthropology News September 1999 S E C T I O N N E W S

B Secretary/Treasurer: Sharon Minchuk, uboc@aol.com

Editor: Tyrone Siren, twsiren@students. w isc. edu

Nominations Chair: Marlena Hanlon, marlena-hanlon@hotmail.com

m Graduate at-large: Peter Kirby, pierro@ mail.utexas.edu

w Undergraduate at-large: Melissa Hays, mh6@ uakron.edu

The NASA Editor can be reached at: stokesr@ ou.edu, or write to: Robert Stokes, Dept of Anth, 5th Floor Dale Hall Tower, U of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019. Alternatively, you can con- tmt NASA President Alexandra Mack at: alexandra. mack@asu.edu.

Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges

LLOYD MILLER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Notes on the Boston Conference As I write this in the heat of summer in the Midwest, I recall longingly the bone-chilling day last Apr when we SACC conferees sought refuge in the hold of the Mayflower replica and listened to the Pilgrims’ story unfold. It was a fine conference in every respect, and President Barry Kass deserves hearty congratu- lations and thanks for putting it ali together and making it happen.

In addition to many interesting papers and presentations (some to appear in a future issue of our publication, Teaching Anthropology: SACC Notes-TASN), highlights included key- note speaker David Maybury-Lewis (Harvard U; Cultural Survival, Inc), Carol and Me1 Ember (Human Relations Area Files) and video pre- sentations by Documentary Educational Resources. Cultural Survival also provided a fund-raising sale of various indigenous arts and crafts, and SACC’s new “logo merchan- dise” made its debut on the sales tables. The

staff of Harvard U’s Peabody Museum of Anthropology received us warmly and provid- ed refreshments on our tour there. Our all-day Saturday field trips to the Mayflower recon- struction and Plimouth Plantation included a delicious 17th century lunch, prepared espe- cially for us and qerved family style. The meal included generous amounts of baby carrots, prunes and watercress garnished with red cab- bage, a stewed compote of yams, apples and cinnamon, cheese, grapes, a grilled chicken breast, steamed clams in shells, a stone ground wheat bun, Indian pudding (my favorite- squash or pumpkin with tapioca and cream) and copious amounts of fresh apple cider. We were honored that AAA Executive Director Bill Davis attended the entire conference, includ- ing our day-long Exec Bd meeting.

Following are edited, abridged highlights from Secretary Tony Balzano’s minutes of the Exec Bd Meeting. To save space, most names of “who said what” are also omitted. Anyohe wishing complete minutes may obtain them from Tony at Sussex County CC, 1 College Hill, Newton, NJ 07860; tel 973/300-2177, fax 973/579-1620, abalzano@sussex.cc.nj.us.

We discussed various aspects of the new AAA Long Range Plan and SACC’s role in it. One item was revamping the Current Trends in Anthropology: Five-Fields Update Sympo- sium. It was suggested that AAA co-sponsor the session and encourage Section leaders to participate, that AA publish presentations and that more interdisciplinary sessions be encour- aged. Agreement was reached to increase the symposium’s time allotment at the next AAA meeting in Chicago (see following paragraph). Also emphasized was that regional networks and K-12 linkages be established, that an insti- tution might “adopt a school,” that AAA coop- erate with the National Council on Social Studies (a K-12 organization) to exchange speakers at their respective national meetings. There was additional discussion on SACC’s relationship to AAA’s new organizational plan: that it weakened smaller sections relative to larger ones, that it de-emphasized sections and sub-

Dining at a popular Boston seafood restaurant. (L-R): Omara Ben Abe, Lloyd Miller, Phil Stein, Bill Byrne, Ann Popplestone, Chuck Ellenbaum, Mary Pulford and Mark Lewine.

SACC President Barry Kass with Bill Davis, Executive Director of AAA. (LLOYD MILLER)

disciplines in favor of “at-large” officers and that this increased the threat of “cronyism.”

An email update from Barry Kass: The Five- Fields Symposium will be expanded to 21% hours and will start at 1:45 pm on a day to be determined. Each presenter will have 20 min- utes for a presentation and 10 minutes for Q & A. Refreshments will be available either as a break in the middle or at the end of the session.

President-Elect Omara Ben Abe presented two proposals for SACC’s 2000 meeting, one in Seattle, the other in Las Vegas. While Seattle was more expensive, it received the nod with the recommendation to try and reduce costs. Secretary Tony Balzano presented information on a SACC Student Award Program. Consensus was that we need such an award, and Tony will bring details on developing one to our fall 1999 meeting. We will also discuss Bylaws changes at this meeting. Membership Vice- President Bill Byrne will work with Ann Kaupp, Omara, Mark Lewine and Ann Popplestone to develop a white paper outlining the current exposure of anthropology in community col- leges, in accordance with the AAA Long Range Plan. Treasurer Chuck Ellenbaum reported that we ran $5.00 over budget for 1998.

Motions made and approved: raise annual dues from $15 to $25; establish a student membership at $15; establish a student regis- tration fee for SACC conferences a t the rate of conference costs plus 50Yo of the SACC margin.

Stephanie Roberg-Lopez reported that the total cost of SACC’s new logo sales merchan- dise was $2,435: mugs $3, hats $7, t-shirts $6.50 and sweatshirts $16. All merchandise is made in the US. Both t-shirts and sweatshirts come in a choice of four colors with a small SACC logo in front and a large Kokopelli fig- ure in back. Two sets of sale prices were sug- gested: t-shirts $10 and $13, sweatshirts $25 and $32, hats $12 and $15, and mugs $5 and $7SO.’Those wishing to purchase any of these items prior to the Chicago AAA meeting in November may contact Stephanie a t Dutchess CC-SUNY, Pendell Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY

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S E C T I O N N E W S September 1999 Anthropology News

Relaxing at Plimoth Plantation. (L-R): Stephanie Roberg-Lopez, Diane Wilhelm, Barry Kass, Rebecca Cramer, Mark Tromans, Mary Pulford, Ellen Johnson, Beckv Stein and Phil Stein.

12601; tel 91 4/431-8359, fax 914/868-7802, roberg@ sunydutchess.edu.

Web/Listserv Guru Ann Popplestone report- ed that (as of Apr) we had 60 listserv sub- sfribers, and have had 2,237 hits since Aug 1997, including one from Yugoslavia and one from Trinidad/Tobago. AAA Program Chair Mary Pulford reported that Ann Kaupp will.do a poster session at the 1999 Chicago meeting, and Tony Balzano will organize and chair an invited session on teaching ethnic identity at the 2000 meeting in San Francisco. Also, one internal grant of $500 was issued.

Immediate Past-President Ina Jane Wundram reported that the lineup for the Current Trends in Anthropology: Five-Fields Update Symposium in Chicago in Nov (as of this writing) includes Geoffrey Clark (Arizona State U), archaeology; Milford Wolpoff (U Michigan), Physical; Regina Darnel1 (U Western Ontario), cultural; and Carol Hill (Georgia State U), applied. Candidates for SACC officers are Len Lieberman (Central Michigan State), president and Me1 Johnson (formerly of Wichita State), treasurer.

Boston K-12 Teachers Attend Conference

BY ANN KAUPP, SMITHSONIAN SACC invited Boston K-12 teachers to attend the Thursday session of its annual meeting in Boston. 20 public school systems were con- tacted individually after an announcement was placed in the MA board of Educations’s Digital Digest, which reaches over 20,000 teachers. Jan Meier (AAA) sent me copies of completed application forms, after which 1 sent the teachers welcoming letters with infor- mation about SACC and its publication along with a conference schedule for that day. Seven teachers attended most of the conference on Thursday; six had pre-registered, one regis- tered on site.

Four of the seven filled out evaluation forms and their response was generally positive. I

would like us to con- tinue inviting local teachers to the annu- al meeting. With only two days of pre- sentations it doesn’t sqem realistic to plan programs exclusively for K-12 teachers unless community college teachers are interested in hands- on workshops that could be adapted for the lower grades. Workshops on how to teach about ar- chaeology, ethnicity, family folklore and primate behavior (where teachers are likely to visit their local zoos) might be

possibilities. One teacher also mentioned that ways of incorporating anthropology into vari- ous curricula (geography, language, history) would be helpful.

I welcome any suggestions you may have for next year3 meeting in Seattle. I can be reached at Dept. of Anthro, NHB ?dRC:112, Smithso- nian Inst, Washington, DC 20560; tel 202/ 357-1592, kaupp.ann@nmnh.si.edu.

Budding Novelist Anthropologist Rebecca Cramer Uohnson County CC, Kansas) is writing her third novel. Her first, Mission to Sonora , was published a year ago (see review in TASN, V2, Fall-Winter 1998). Since then, Beca has appeared on radio talk shows, given talks to such organizations as Sisters in Crime and “Mystery Writers of America, made book signing appearances at Borders Book Stores and been featured in the College Boulevard News, a weekly that is circu- lated throughout the Johnson County, KS metro area, Most recently, she has completed the screenplay adaptation of Mission, and has sub- mitted it to two Hollywood film production companies that have expressed interest. Her novels are mysteries whose anthropologically wise protagonists solve the crimes while using knowledge that displays both cultural diversi- ty and cultural dignity. You may visit her web site at www.jccc.net/-rcramer.

Lloyd Miller, Des Moines Area CC, 2006 S Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny, IA 50021; tel 515/964- 6435, ljmil@aol.com.

Society for the Antrapology of Consciousness

CONSTANTINE HRISKOS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Welcome back. Hopefully everyone has had a productive yet restful summer. This first col-

umn of the season is by necessity very short as I am relocating to a different institution. Please take note, therefore, that I am not leav- ing you with column submission information in this issue of AN. Please check your Oct issue for my new email address. I encourage all of you to contribute to this col- umn especially in this year of transition for your editor. It is quite possible that column deadlines will be missed and important infor- mation will not reach our readers if you do not avail yourselves of this opportunity and forum.

I hope to continue a recurring segment of this column called “Issues in Consciousness Studies’’ that will showcase research, publica- tions debates and other points of interest in the field. On this note I direct your attention to our spring 2000 conference which will be held in Tucson, AZ, and will take a retrospec- tive look at SAC in the last two decades and also suggest an agenda and issues for the 21st century. I want to take this opportunity to invite everyone to begin that discussion in this column before we arrive in Tucson in Apr. It is also possible that special issues of AoC will be devoted to these themes. The transforma- tion, study of and intentionality of conscious- ness and its effects loom large for the next cen- tury. I dare say that these are some of the ”few” unifying ideas that may be available for anthropologists today.

An awareness (consciousness) that is simulta- neously local and global is more important now than ever before. The thralldom of evanescent transnational flows and migrations do not obvi- ate the need to provide a ground for more uni- fymg discussions and questions. The abuse of the environment and human resources and world devouring political economies necessitate discussions that reach beyond the “local” and limited awarenesses that are encapsulated in the “cultural” identity discourses of the fractured and fragmented present. This fragmentation belies the very real oneness that is the world of humanity. Distrust of universals is just the other side of the moral poverty and irrelevance of rel- ativity for such a world. It is time that anthro- pology come to terms with itself and its world. It is time for a transformation of anthropologi- cal consciousness. We can no longer proceed with “business“ as usual, content to document and describe the writhing twists and turns, sub- tle nuances and flavors of this or that . . . Perhaps along with the Disenchantment of the World there comes a Disenchantment with Anthropology. As long as anthropology remains within the academy and as long as that acade- my is mostly a reflex of global economic forces the individual voices of famous anthropologists will continue to ring “hollow” to the world out- side. Have you read. . . .? Who?

Special Issue on Siberian Shamanism Lisa Mertz, editor of Anthropology of Conscious- ness, wishes to announce a special issue of our journal that is devoted to the themes of last

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