Charles R. Hale

Activist research v. cultural critique: Indigenous land rights and the contradictions of politically engaged anthropology

With indigenous and Afro-Latin land rights in Central America as ethnographic context, this article makes the case for politically engaged anthropology. The argument builds from a juxtaposition between “cultural critique” and “activist research” distinguished mainly on methodological grounds. Activist scholars establish an alignment with an organized group of people in struggle and accompany them on the contradictory and partly compromised path toward their political goals. This yields research outcomes that are both troubled and deeply enriched by direct engagement with the complexities of political contention. A case in the Inter-American Human Rights Court, where an indigenous community called Awas Tingni forced the Nicaraguan government to recognize the communitys ancestral lands, illustrates the promise of activist research, in spite of the inevitable contradictions that present themselves even when the struggle is ostensibly successful.

Conclusion: Fragile Facts On Scholarship and Activism

... no factual statement can ever be beyond doubt ... It is this fragility that makes deception so very easy ... and so tempting. It never comes into a conflict with reason, because things could indeed have been as the liar maintains they were. Lies are often much more plausible, more appealing to reason, than reality, since the liar has the great advantage of knowing beforehand what the audience wishes or expects to hear.

When I hear the word culture

ABSTRACT This afterword summarizes the principal contributions of the articles in this collection, noting both common themes and points of difference. All six articles highlight serious problems and unintended consequences that result when the recognition of rights grounded in cultural difference, or expressions of respect for cultural particularity, take place without engaging the deep structural inequalities that accompany cultural plurality. They also raise key differences, some contextual others conceptual, as to people’s experiences in effectively using openings of cultural recognition towards more expansive ends. Consequential differences also arise as to the best practical and theoretical means to contest racism. Especially in these dangerous times, my argument (and theirs) is not against cultural rights and recognition, but rather, in favour of approaches that critically appraise both the possibilities and limitations of such struggles – that is, to finish the sentence, ‘when I hear the word culture … ’ taking seriously its cautionary message.

Re-visioning Latin American Studies in the United States

In the early 1990s, an influential group of northern scholars, foundation representatives and observers of academic trends came to the conclusion that ‘Area Studies’ were in crisis. Although the critiques and calls for reformulation applied across the board to a heterogeneous array of Area Studies fields, they had particular resonance within Latin American Studies (LAS). Rooted in disciplinary and institutional developments dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, LAS came into its own in the 1950s, in the context of the Cold War. It rapidly became the largest, most well-funded and most prestigious of the Area Studies fields. For this reason, among others, LAS assumed a central role in the broader debate: should Area Studies persist in their current form? If not, what successor intellectual and institutional configurations should emerge in their place? Nearly twenty years later, this high-stakes debate has virtually disappeared. By various important measures, LAS is thriving. This essay provides what we argue is the principal explanation for this remarkable ongoing vitality of our field.

Rascally Signs in Sacred Places: The Politics of Culture in Nicaragua.

David Whisnant provides a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic relationship between culture, power, and policy in Nicaragua over the last 450 years. Spanning a broad spectrum of popular and traditional expressive forms--including literature, music, film, and broadcast media--the book explores the evolution of Nicaraguan culture, its manipulation for political purposes, and the opposition to cultural policy by a variety of marginalized social and regional groups. Within the historical narrative of cultural change over time, Whisnant skillfully discusses important case studies of Nicaraguan cultural politics: the consequences of the unauthorized removal of archaeological treasures from the country in the nineteenth century; the perennial attempts by political factions to capitalize on the reputation of two venerated cultural figures, poet Ruben Dario and rebel General Augusto C. Sandino; and the ongoing struggle by Nicaraguan women for liberation from traditional gender relations. Originally published in 1995. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value. |A new edition of the most comprehensive guide to the hiking and walking trails of Virginia. Allen de Hart gives directions to and descriptions of more than 1,400 trails, noting nearby points of interest, botanical and zoological features, and characteristics of the regions terrain.