The American Anthropological Association Barely Defeats “Boycott Israel” Resolution

In an article I wrote for the Pope Center last year, I explained how my academic field, anthropology, is increasingly dominated by activists who want to use it for their political purposes. In keeping with that trend, last year, a task force of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) passed a resolution calling for the association … Continue reading “The American Anthropological Association Barely Defeats “Boycott Israel” Resolution”


Turning Anthropology from Science into Political Activism

It is very revealing that in 2010, the executive committee of the American Anthropological Association (AAA), the discipline’s major professional organization, dropped the word “science” from its mission statement, and elsewhere. Since then the organization has focused on trendy issues such as the environment, violence, climate change, race, etc. The AAA now wants “to help solve problems” rather than to understand and explain reality.