January 2008 • Anthropology News

59

S E C T I O N N E W S

was exercising a sense of agency in this “total insti-tution,” attempting to create space and power for himself. However, the conditions for a care worker, working 12 hours a day, could be considered as one of many factors leading to Mrs X’s response.

At the time, I chose not to intervene while the boy harassed the care worker nor while the care worker physically assaulted him. I was there as a researcher and did not want to influence their interaction. Furthermore, I did not inter-fere because: 1) violence is understood differ-ently in this institution; 2) I was too emotionally “charged” while the situation unfolded; and, finally, 3) intervening could have shifted my sta-tus at the institution. Collecting data would be more complicated if care workers, or the boys, did not trust my presence.

But I was uncertain about how to proceed. To cope, I first physically removed myself from the institution for a few days. During this absence, I attempted to process what I had observed and considered the ways I could have handled it. Second, I sought support, academic and psy-chological, from supervisors, colleagues and a professional therapist. When I felt emotionally prepared, and when I had a strategy to deal with what happened, I arranged a meeting with Mrs X and Sean. Exploring their perceptions and feelings improved my understanding of the situation.

As researchers, we need support structures to help us manage sensitive situations, but we also must use our initiative in these unexpected moments to decide if and how to respond. I learned that during fieldwork, and especially when dealing with issues such as violence, we are exposed to experiences that force us to renegotiate our boundaries as scientists and individuals. The challenge is to confront these boundaries, and to ask when we should try not only to understand but also to act.

NASA needs people with Web programming experi-ence! Contact Mel (melsmarsh@gmail.com) if you are interested.

Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges

LLOYD MILLER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

SACC 2008 Meeting in Washington DC

By Ann Kaupp (SACC President-Elect)

SACC will hold its 2008 annual meeting in Wash-ington DC, Friday, Mar 14–Tuesday, Mar 18. The meeting will be held in connection with the Smithsonian Institution on the theme of “Shar-ing Knowledge: Anthropology’s Contributions to Understanding Human Bio-Cultural Diversity.”

Our headquarters will be the Holiday Inn Central at Rhode Island Avenue and 15th Street (tel 202/483-2000), a few blocks north of the White House and east of Dupont Circle. Holding it over a weekend, we received preferable room rates at $169 plus tax. A few rooms are being

held at the same rate for those who might wish to arrive a day early.

We will continue our tradition of providing an opportunity to share research and teaching strategies and to explore local sites of anthro-pological interest in a relaxed and amicable environment. One of the highlights in 2008 will be the opportunity to meet with Smithsonian Institution anthropologists and historians who will share with us their current research. The following preliminary schedule shows that our time will be filled with interesting meeting ses-sions, activities, and opportunities to explore our nation’s capital. This Washington DC web-site provides additional information on sites, resources and activities in the area: www.dcvisit.com/site_map.htm.

Friday afternoon our open board meeting takes place 2–4 pm, followed by a small society-wide reception. Friday evening offers an oppor-tunity to experience one of the many restau-rants in the area of Dupont Circle, Georgetown or downtown DC, as well as a chance to attend a play, concert or comedy club on your own.

Saturday, the first paper sessions will take place. Breakfast and lunch are provided. Saturday eve-ning we will enjoy a “Washington after Dark” bus tour, 7–10 pm, to visit and view some of the major city sites. Dinner is on your own.

Sunday morning the paper sessions continue with breakfast and lunch provided. Sunday afternoon, we are lucky to have guest speaker Ms Pam Henson, Smithsonian Institution histo-rian, who will regale us with stories about early and colorful Smithsonian Institution anthro-pologists. This will be followed by paper presen-tations. Sunday evening dinner is on your own. You might like to consider taking the metro to nearby historic Alexandria, Virginia (http://oha.alexandriava.gov), where you can choose from a wide variety of cuisines (www.funside.com/din-ing) and enjoy the federal architecture.

Monday morning after breakfast, we will head to the National Museum of the American Indian by metro. There, we will hear from Curator Gabriella Tayac (Piscataway), who will talk about Indians of the Chesapeake Bay area and provide an overview of the museum’s exhibits, which we will tour on our own. Monday lunch is provided at the museum’s acclaimed Mitsitam Native Foods Café. Monday afternoon we will take a short walk to the department of anthro-pology at the National Museum of Natural History and hear a presentation by archaeologist Dennis Stanford on an alternative view on the peopling of the Americas. He will be followed by physical anthropologist Doug Owsley, who will present his research on bioarchaeological perspectives on 17th-century life in Jamestown. The rest of the afternoon we are free to wander around the Smithsonian Institution locations. The museums close at 5:30 pm. I will be glad to offer suggestions of exhibits to see depending on your interests. Monday evening is one more opportunity to explore a city neighborhood or take in a performance.

Tuesday we will depart. For those of you who may want to spend more time at the

Smithsonian Institution or in other parts of Washington DC, you might consider extending your visit. (The conference hotel rate would not apply.)

An advanced registration form can be down-loaded from the SACC website (http://webs.ano-karamsey.edu/sacc). The hotel can be reached by subway from Ronald Reagan National Airport by taking the Blue Line to MacPherson Square metro stop (White House exit) and walking four city blocks north on 15th St to Rhode Island Ave. The hotel also has parking available for $28.00 a night.

Our meeting will be in honor of former SACC president Leonard Lieberman who passed away this year and whose friendship and scholarship will be greatly missed. I look forward to seeing everyone in Washington DC in Mar 2008.

Send communications and contributions to Lloyd Miller (lloyd.miller@mchsi.com).

Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness

LAWRENCE B MCBRIDE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Introducing ConsciousnessThis month, I would like to say a few words about an academic ritual called “doing intro-ductions.” This blurb-sharing ritual (sometimes referred to as “going around the room”) typical-ly occurs during the fi rst meeting of a seminar, and is initiated by the professor’s suggestion that the participants each introduce them-selves and mention the object of their research interest. Having several semesters of graduate education under my belt, my own experience of the doing introductions ritual is fairly ex-tensive. Now this ritual may be interesting to the anthropologist of consciousness especially because of the disjunction between the native account of the ritual (which highlights the goal of “getting to know one another”) and the ac-tual experience of the participant (who enters a quasi-dissociative state featuring temporary deafness while mentally composing his or her own self-introductory blurb as the others in the room are talking.) But I would like to talk specifi cally about the experience of blurbing “consciousness” in the context of an anthro-pology seminar.

I first realized the real importance of this blurbing practice one night early in the fall 2007 semester as some fellow students and I were fan-ning the dying embers of a party. I was trying to subtly poke around our host’s kitchen (looking for any remaining alcohol) when two of my bet-ter friends, who were in a seminar with me at the time, approached me and informed me that I had a problem with my blurb. Their concern was that I was not taking the ritual seriously enough, that I was not choosing my words care-