Professional
Associations: Codes of Ethics and Conduct
American
Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS): Bylaws
http://www.aafs.org/?section_id=aafs&page_id=aafs_bylaws
Professionals from the field of physical anthropology are
just part of the diverse group that makes up the membership
of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). The
AAFS Bylaws page not only outlines the rules and regulations
of the group, but it also includes a section about codes
of ethics and conduct.
American
Anthropological Association (AAA)
- AAA
Ethics Homepage
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethics.htm
This page has several resources related to ethical issues.
The AAA Code of Ethics, as well as other association codes,
can be found at this site.
- AAA
Sections and Interest Groups
http://www.aaanet.org/sctigs.htm
A list of links to the various AAA sections and interest
groups can be found on this page. Some of the sections,
like the American Ethnological Society (AES), have independent
bylaws. Go to http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/anthro/aes/bylaw.html
to see those drafted by the AES.
- Briefing
Paper on Informed Consent
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/bp5.htm
The American Anthropological Association Committee on
Ethics was asked to address the question, "What constitutes
valid and informed consent in anthropological research?"
This site documents the Committee's response to that question.
- Commission
to Review the AAA Statements on Ethics: Final Report
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethrpt.htm
This report is presented in 5 different parts:1)
current status of the AAA ethics program; 2) Commission
goals; 3) general principles applying to codes
of ethics; 4) critical questions considered by
the Commission; and 5) recommendations, including
a proposed AAA Code of Ethics.
- How
to Hold a Workshop on Ethical Problems in Fieldwork
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ch6.htm
This chapter
defines fieldwork as "research which utilizes the
following methods: ethnographic fieldwork, community study,
participant observation, unstructured face-to-face interviewing,
and nonobtrusive observation." Tips for arranging
a workshop of this nature, including information about
the personnel to be involved, locations & publicity,
presentation suggestions and format are provided.
The
Public Anthropology Web site has information about a proposal
to revise the AAA Code of Ethics. More information about
this initiative can be found at http://www.publicanthropology.org/ElDoradoTaskForce/IndexPage.htm.
American
Cultural Resources Association Code of Ethics (ACRA)
http://www.acra-crm.org/Ethics.html
ACRA was formed in 1995 and was designed to serve the needs
of the cultural resources industry. This organization's
code of ethics was drafted so the public could see the principles
that its members strive to uphold.
American
Society of Primatologists (ASP): The Long-Term Care of Chimpanzees
http://www.asp.org/society/resolutions/chimp_resolution.html
ASP is an educational and scientific organization that focuses
on the study of non-human primates. This organization's ethics
page outlines the ASP standards for the ethical treatment
of non-human primates in research.
Archaeological
Institute of America (AIA)
http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10000
AIA is the oldest and largest archaeological organization
in North America. It is dedicated to supporting archaeological
research and protecting the world's cultural heritage.
Association
of Social Anthropology (ASA): Ethical Guidelines for Good
Research Practice
http://les1.man.ac.uk/asa/Ethics/ethics.htm
Social anthropologists, like many other researchers, face
ethical dilemmas out in the field. ASA, a group founded
in 1946 and dedicated to the study and teaching of social
anthropology, has outlined ethical standards for members
to follow.
European
Association of Archaeologists (EAA): Codes
http://www.e-a-a.org/eaacodes.htm
EAA is a membership-based association of archaeologists
and others interested in this area of study. Over 1100 members
from more than 41 countries who are involved in prehistory,
classical, medieval and later archaeology belong to EAA.
This site provides links to the EAA Code of Practice and
Code of Conduct. Italian and Spanish versions of these codes
are also available.
International
Council of Museums (ICOM)
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/icom/ethics.html
This organization considers its detailed code of ethics
policy to be a type of "self-regulation" mechanism
that outlines performance standards for its members.
National
Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA)-Ethical
Guidelines for Practitioners
http://www.aaanet.org/napa/code.htm
The development of the NAPA Ethical Guidelines for Practitioners
was a collaborative process between NAPA and the Southern
California Applied Anthropology Network (SCAAN). This document
was developed as a "guide to the professional and ethical
responsibilities that practicing anthropologists should
uphold."
Register
of Professional Archaeologists (RPA): Codes of Conduct
http://www.rpanet.org/conduct.htm
This association consists of members who have agreed to
abide by certain rules and standards of professional conduct.
RPA even has a grievance procedure, which allows for the
investigation of complaints against member professional
conduct.
Society
for American Archaeology (SAA): Principles of Archaeological
Ethics
http://www.saa.org/AboutSAA/ethics/prethic.html
SAA is an international organization that is dedicated to
the "research, interpretation and protection of the
archaeological heritage of the Americas." This group
recognizes that archaeologists face many dilemmas while
in the field and have set up these ethical guidelines to
assist members in dealing with those challenges.
Society
for Applied Anthropology (SfAA)
http://www.sfaa.net/sfaaethic.html
The "Ethical & Professional Responsibilities"
section of the SfAA site is intended to be a guide to professional
behavior for its members.
The
Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA)
http://www.sha.org/sha_back.htm
No separate ethics page is available on the SHA page, but
the organization's ethical positions are outlined in the bylaws
section of this site.
Statement
of Ethics for the American Folklore Society (AFS)
http://www.afsnet.org/aboutAFS/ethics.cfm
The AFS Board of Directors has approved this ethics statement,
but the group still considers it to be a document that will
change and evolve over time. This statement is to be used
to help clarify the responsibilities of professional folklorists.
World
Archaeological Congress (WAC)
http://www.wac.uct.ac.za/archive/content/ethics.html
WAC is an international forum for people interested in the
research of the past. The code of ethics for this organization
has two different sections: 1) principles to abide
by; and 2) rules to adhere to.
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Professional
Associations: Related Codes & Information
American
Sociological Association (ASA)
http://www.asanet.org/members/ecoderev.html
The ASA code outlines the professional responsibilities
and conduct of sociologist. ASA has a "Policies and
Procedures" page at http://www.asanet.org/members/enforce.html
that describes its Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE).
American
Statistical Association (ASA)
http://www.tcnj.edu/~asaethic
This site, provided by the American Statistical Association
Committee on Professional Ethics, is intended to facilitate
and encourage dialog about statistical ethics.
The
Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the
Protection of Human Subjects of Research
http://ohsr.od.nih.gov/mpa/belmont.php3
The Belmont Report is a summary of the ethics principles
outlined at the National Commission for the Protection of
Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Specific
recommendations are not given in this particular Commission
report.
Canadian
Archaeological Association (CAA)
http://www.canadianarchaeology.com/home.lasso
Members of the Canadian Archaeological Association include
professionals, students and members of the general public
who have an interest in the archaeological heritage of Canada.
The "Principles of Ethical Conduct" page, as well
as other sections of the site, is accessible in English
or French.
Declaration
of Helsinki
http://www.faseb.org/arvo/helsinki.htm
The Declaration of Helsinki was developed by the World Medical
Association to act as an ethics guide to those involved
in medical research involving human subjects.
Middle
East Studies Association (MESA)
http://fp.arizona.edu/mesassoc/ethics.htm
MESA's ethics committee has outlined a statement that addresses
issues that arise in the areas of teaching, research and
publishing in the Middle East. A policy on plagiarism is
also included in the statement.
Professions
of Duplexity: A Prehistory of Ethical Codes in Anthropology
http://www.pscw.uva.nl/gm/articles/pp1999.htm
Peter Pels, University of Amsterdam, discusses the renewed
interest in the U. S. and countries around the world in
developing codes of ethics for the field of anthropology.
Pels discusses why this shift has occurred and how it relates
to the scientific truth.
Sierra
Club Archaeological Sites Policy
http://www.sierraclub.org/policy/conservation/archaeology.asp
The Sierra Club believes that "the protection and preservation
of archaeological resources should be considered a priority
in all actions taken or promoted by the Sierra Club."
Five main points that are advocated by the Sierra Club are
detailed on this site.
The Society for Economic Botany (SEB)
http://www.econbot.org/home.html
SEB, established in 1959, is considered to be the world's
largest and most respected society for individuals dedicated
to the ethnological study of plants. At least 1000 individuals
all 50 U. S. states and from more than 64 countries make
up the membership of this organization. The goal of SEB
is to "foster and encourage scientific research, education,
and related activities on the past, present, and future
uses of plants, and the relationship between plants and
people, and to make the results of such research available
to the scientific community and the general public through
meetings and publications."
An Ethic
Index section is provided at this site, and it includes
resources such as the SEB Code of Ethics, Codes from other
related professional associations, and teaching ethics materials.
The Ethics Index can be located at http://www.econbot.org/ethics/.
Sociological Research Online
http://www.socresonline.org.uk/info/ethguide.html
The process to develop this statement of ethical practice
by the British Sociological Association was helped in part
by the codes produced by the American Sociological Association,
the Association of Social Anthropologist of the Commonwealth
and the Social Research Association.
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Case Studies
Case
Studies
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/9893/
cslinks.html
Karen Supak designed this site to be used as a scholarly
resource for those interested in biological anthropology
or related fields. Her "Case Studies" section
has 5 different anthropology-related case studies to investigate.
Cases
on Research Ethics
http://rcr.ucsd.edu/tools/cases.htm
The case studies posted at this site are intended to facilitate
discussions about scientific integrity. They are general
scenarios and are not anthropology specific.
The
Gladiator Sparrow: Ethical Issues in Behavioral Research
on Captive Populations of Wild Animals
http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol4/gladiator.html
A graduate student in psychobiology is studying the development
of aggressive behaviors in non-human animals. She decides
to test environmental influences on the development of these
aggressive behaviors in gladiator sparrows, and she encounters
a few problems during the research process. Discussion questions
and commentaries follow the scenario.
Commentaries
on this case can be found at:
**Numerous
cases and commentaries on graduate research ethics cases
can be found at http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/.**
Handbook
on Ethical Issues in Anthropology
The American
Anthropological Association has two different "chapters"
with a total of 25 case studies. Twelve cases can be found
in Chapter 3 Cases and Solutions and 13 cases can be found
in Chapter 4 Cases and Comments. Both chapters are good places
to start for anthropological scenarios.
Smithsonian
Institution: Anthropology Outreach Office-Ethical Dilemmas
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/outreach/edethica.html
This site that is part of a teacher packet provides an outline
of how instructors can organize discussions on ethical issues
and dilemmas faced by anthropologists in the field. Six
cases are provided along with questions to ask that are
designed to stimulate discussions on the topics.
Society for American Archaeology Bulletin 16(4) From the
Ethics Committee
http://www.saa.org/publications/saabulletin/16-4/SAA13.html
This site presents two of the four invented ethical issue
scenarios presented at the Society for American Archaeology
(SAA) forum in Seattle.
The
Society for Economic Botany (SEB): Teaching Ethics-Ethical
Dilemmas
http://www.econbot.org/ethics/teaching_ethics.html
A list of 15 different questions/scenarios are provided
on this SEB site in order to spark ethical discussions in
the classroom. Topics include using narcotics in cultures
where that is introduced, developing relationships with
tribal people and becoming indoctrinated into a particular
religious sect in order to participate in secret ceremonies.
The dilemmas have been contributed by Dr. Will McClutchey
from the University of Hawaii.
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Ethical Issues
and Controversies
Professional
Association Statements on Issues:
American
Anthropological Association (AAA): Statements
http://www.aaanet.org/stmts/ethstmnt.htm
The Council of the AAA has adopted a general statement on
the responsibilities anthropologists must adhere to in order
to ethically perform in this profession. A list of 15 specific
statements approved by the Executive Board of the Association
on issues such as race, evolution and the Cuban Trade Embargo
can be found at http://www.aaanet.org/stmts/index.htm.
American
Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA)
http://www.physanth.org/
The Clovis Debate:
"Clovis
and Beyond" Conference
http://clovisandbeyond.org/conference.html
The "Clovis and Beyond" Conference held in Santa
Fe, NM in 1999 was considered to be one of the "most
important conferences in New World history in more than
50 years." For more information about this conference,
go to the January 2000 issue of Mammoth Trumpet at
http://www.peak.org/csfa/mt15-1.html.
The
Clovis First/Pre-Clovis Problem
http://www.ele.net/art_folsom/preclvis.htm
This site discusses the Clovis controversy and is divided
into two sections. The first provides background information
on this topic, and the second discusses the author's proposed
theory and its implications.
Find
May Rewrite Americas' Prehistory
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/americas
/feb/17/artifact.htm
"Find May Rewrite Americas' Prehistory" is a Washington
Post article that discusses the discovery of artifacts
in South America, thousands of miles away from the Clovis
site.
Monte
Verde: About.com
http://archaeology.about.com/library/excav/blmonteverde.htm
Links to information about the Monte Verde controversy and
other resources dealing with Clovis can be found at this
About.com site.
Monte
Verde and the Antiquity of Humankind in the Americas
http://intarch.ac.uk/antiquity/adovasio.html
J. M. Adovasio and D. R. Pedler address issues surrounding
the Monte Verde debate in this brief article.
Monte
Verde Excavation: Or Clovis Police Beat a Retreat
http://www.unl.edu/rhames/monte_verde/MonteVerde.htm
"Monte Verde Excavation" discusses the verification
process of this pre-Clovis site.
Monte
Verde Fallout
http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/clovis/rose2.html
Two questions arise when debating the Monte Verde saga.
- What
does it say about how archaeologists prove or disprove
particular claims for sites?
- Where
does it leave us in terms of when and how the Americas
were colonized?
This paper,
compiled by Mark Rose and published in Archaeology
attempts to address those particular questions.
Monte
Verde Under Fire
http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/clovis/
This article takes a look at the questions surrounding the
Monte Verde site in southern Chile.
On
Monte Verde: Fiedel's Confusions and Misrepresentations
http://www.uky.edu/Projects/MonteVerde/
Stuart Fiedel
of John Milner Associates, a private archaeological contract
firm in Alexandria, VA, published a non-refereed "special
report" entitled "Artifact Provenience at Monte
Verde: Confusion and Contradiction" in the October
1999 issue of Scientific American Discovering Archaeology
(no longer available online). This site, "On Monte
Verde: Fiedel's Confusions and Misrepresentations",
was developed as a way to address and respond to Fiedel's
allegations and "factual & interpretive mistakes."
I, Rigoberta Menchú:
Academia's
Lust for Lies and Disregard for Truth
http://216.247.220.66/archives/academia/leo1-20-99.htm
A number of professors do not care that several sections
of the book, I, Rigoberta Menchú, are untrue
and continue to teach it in their classes. John Leo discusses
this and other issues surrounding this controversial publication
in this article from the January 19, 1999 issue of the Seattle
Times. Leo also examines research by David Stoll, a
Middlebury College anthropologist who interviewed 120 people
in Menchú's Guatemalan hometown, and who published
his findings in the book entitled Rigoberta Menchú
and the Story of All Guatemalans.
I,
Rigoberta Menchú
http://www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/irigobertamenchu.html
Lynnette Grate,
Post Colonial Literature at Western Michigan University,
created this page that outlines the Menchú story.
Background information, dialogues, notes, historical background
of Guatemala and additional research links are provided.
I,
Rigoberta Menchú?
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/hopscotch/v001/1.3liano.pdf
David Stoll, an anthropologist and author of Rigoberta
Menchú and the Story of All Poor Guatemalans,
argues that Rigoberta Menchú deliberately "distorted"
facts in her 1983 memoir I, Rigoberta Menchú.
Dante Liano examines Stoll's allegations and discusses the
details surrounding this scandal in this article from the
1999 issue of Hopscotch.
I,
Rigoberta Menchú Debate
http://chronicle.com/colloquy/99/menchu/re.htm
The
Chronicle of Higher Education set up an online
discussion forum to address the issue of whether or not
Rigoberta Menchú's autobiography should continue
to be taught in college courses.
Salon
Right On! I, Rigoberta Menchú, Liar
http://www.salon.com/col/horo/1999/01/11horo.html
David Horowitz published this article in Salon about
the Rigoberta Menchú controversy.
More
information about the Rigoberta Menchú controversy
can be found at:
- Anthropologist
Challenges Veracity of Multicultural Icon
http://www.rlc.dcccd.edu/annex/COMM/english
/mah8420/menchu4.htm
College professors
continue to teach the book, I, Rigoberta Mench,
even though allegations have surfaced indicating that the
book is full of untruths. This article, reproduced from
the January 15, 1999 issue of The Chronicle of Higher
Education, examines the allegations by David Stoll,
an anthropology professor at Middlebury College, against
the memoir by Nobel Prize winner, Rigoberta Mench.
- Chronicle
of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/
Numerous articles dealing with the Rigoberta Menchú
issue can be found by searching The Chronicle of Higher
Education Web site.
- Rigoberta
Menchú Meets the Press
http://www.salon.com/news/1999/02/12newsa2.html
Are some of the
inconsistencies in the book I, Rigoberta Menchú
due to a misunderstanding of Mayan oral tradition? Should
the book be seen as a "testimony" rather than
as an autobiography? James Poniewozik, a columnist for Salon
takes a look at these and some other questions that were
raised when Rigoberta Menchú held a press conference
to discuss her book I, Rigoberta Menchú.
-
Untruth
in Academe
http://www.theamericanenterprise.org/classic.htm
Kenneth Lee, a Harvard law student, discusses the Rigoberta
Menchú controversy and examines what seems to be
a growing trend of academic misconduct in this May/June
1999 issue of The American Enterprise Online.
Kennewick Man:
A
Battle Over Bones
http://www.archaeology.org/9701/etc/specialreport.html
Andrew Slayman discusses the discovery of the Kennewick
Man and the observations made from examinations of the skeleton
in this January/February 1997 article from Archaeology.
The controversy surrounding the Kennewick Man and Native
American claims to the remains are also addressed. Links
to related stories on this issue are also provided.
Additional
articles and updates by Slayman and others published in
Archaeology can be found at
http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/kennewick.html.
Kennewick
Man
http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/kennewick
In July, 1996, Kennewick Man was found in the Kennewick,
WA area, and the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) became the
agency responsible for determining what would be done with
the remains. Even though the COE followed the guidelines
of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation
Act (NAGPRA), this agency's actions were challenged in Federal
court. The U. S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the
National Park Service agreed to help the COE. This site
provides numerous links from reports and letters that outline
the work being done by the DOI on this issue.
The
Kennewick Man Case
http://www.nas.org/publications/sci_newslist/7_1/
d_kennewick_artic.htm
Glynn Custred from California State University-Hayward believes
that the Kennewick Man does not physically resemble any
living Indian populations and indicates that the remains
should not have been returned to tribal leaders. Custred
states in this November 2002 issue of Science Insights
that Indian activists have prevented further investigations
into theories that the first Americans arrived by boat 40,000
years ago rather than through Siberia. This article discusses
this issue and examines the political considerations affecting
research on the Kennewick Man.
Kennewick
Man--News and Information: Or How I Learned to Hate 60
Minutes
http://archaeology.about.com/blkennewick.htm
On October 31,
1998, the CBS program 60 Minutes aired a 12 minute
piece on the Kennewick Man. Those who saw the program were
not happy with the errors and misconceptions propagated
about the Kennewick Man burial. K. Kris Hirst, a project
archaeologist at Louis Berger Associates, Inc., compiled
the resources found at this site to provide a better understanding
about the Kennewick Man and about the controversy that surrounds
this issue. Hirst provides a list of columns, bibliographies,
Web resources and other materials pertaining to the Kennewick
Man.
Kennewick
Man News Update
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/kmanupdate.html
This site provides information on the government's findings
regarding Kennewick Man. Recent discoveries, data and additional
resources on this topic are also presented.
Kennewick
Man, Northern Clans, Northern Traces
http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/kennewick_man.html
When Kennewick Man was discovered in 1996, Dr. James Chatters,
the owner of Applied Paleoscience, was called in to conduct
skeletal forensics and recover much of the skeleton. In
this article, Dr. Chatters addresses his observations at
the Kennewick site.
News
from the Confederated Umatilla Journal, Issues, News Releases
http://www.umatilla.nsn.us/activity.html
Links to press statements, position papers, and articles
about the Kennewick Man are available at this site. Information
about tribal gaming and salmon restoration are also provided.
Oregon
Live: Kennewick Man
http://www.oregonlive.com/special/kman
Oregon Live is a site affiliated with the newspapers The
Oregonian and The Hillsboro Argus. One section
of this site is devoted to articles on the Kennewick Man.
Tri-City
Herald's Kennewick Man Virtual Interpretive Center
http://www.kennewick-man.com
This site is an online archive of the articles the Tri-City
Herald has written about the Kennewick Man since its
discovery in 1996. Photos of the Kennewick Man site are
also provided.
One
of the most comprehensive collections of news stories about
the Kennewick Man issue can be found at the Tri-City
Herald's site at
http://www.kennewick-man.com/news/index.html.
**For
related information on Kennewick Man, see the Repatriation
and NAGPRA section.**
Mead-Freeman:
Margaret
Mead, Derek Freeman, and the Issue of Evolution
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m2843/n6_v22/21275523/print.jhtml
Did Margaret Mead favor an evolutionary approach, or was
Derek Freeman correct in his argument that she was antievolutionary?
Paul Shankman, an associate professor of anthropology at
the University of Colorado at Boulder, compares and contrasts
the positions and arguments by both Mead and Freeman in
this article from the November-December 1998 issue of The
Skeptical Inquirer.
The
Mead-Freeman Controversy in Review
http://courses.brown.edu/William_Beeman-AN0196_F01/
sassigadd2.pdf
James E. Côté, a professor in the Department
of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, examines
the controversy that began in the 1980s with the publication
of Derek Freeman's book Margaret Mead and Samoa: The
Making and Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth. In this
1983 book, Freeman argued that Mead's conclusions about
Samoan adolescence and Samoan culture were wrong. This article
was the lead entry in the October 2000 issue of the Journal
of Youth and Adolescence.
Other
articles addressing the Mead-Freeman saga have also been
published in the October 2000 issue of the Journal of
Youth and Adolescence and include the following:
The
Mead-Freeman Debate
http://pages.slc.edu/~cfraver/directory/firstpage.htm
This page outlines the Mead-Freeman controversy, and provides
links to Mead's Coming of Age in Samoa, as well as
Freeman's attack on Mead's findings. Other information including
the political climate during Mead's and Freeman's works
are also discussed.
Plagiarism:
Leading
Chinese Educator Accused of Plagiarism (free registration
to the Nando Times is required to access)
http://www.nando.net/entertainment/story/221500p-2139687c.html
The Nando Times published this article in January
17, 2002 about Wang Mingming, a professor at Peking University
who was accused of plagiarizing a 1987 edition of Cultural
Anthropology.
Other
articles on the Dr. Wang plagiarism controversy include
the following:
Academic
Circles Buzz Over Peking University Plagiarism Case
http://www.china.org.cn/English/2002/Feb/27368.htm
In February 2002, the Chinese news site, china.org.cn,
posted an article about the issues surrounding Dr. Wang.
Information about Dr. Wang being deprived of his academic
posts can be found at http://www.china.org.cn/English/2002/Jan/25360.htm.
- Beijing
University Professor Deprived of Academic Posts for Plagiarism
http://www.edu.cn/20020117/3017883.shtml
A brief article posted by the China Education and Research
Network about the Wang plagiarism scandal.
- Plagiarism
in China Fuels Debate on Intellectual Theft
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0122/p16s02-legn.html
The Christian Science Monitor posted a story about
the Dr. Wang plagiarism controversy that appeared in its
January 22, 2002 edition.
-
To
Catch a Thief
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/worldwide/story/
0,9959,639421,00.html
David Cohen discusses various plagiarism scandals, including
the one involving Dr. Wang, in this January 25, 2002
article from the Guardian Unlimited. Additional
links to sites addressing the issue of plagiarism are
provided at the end of this article.
Plagiarism
and Inappropriate Collaboration
http://cisw.cla.umn.edu/plagiarism/faculty/inappropriate.html
Eugene Ogan, an emeritus professor in the Department of
Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, developed this
section of the plagiarism site, "Plagiarism:
Definitions, Diagnoses, Preventions, and Cures for Students
and Faculty at the University of Minnesota." Links
to strategies for avoiding and preventing plagiarism plus
other helpful resources are also provided.
Repatriation and NAGPRA:
NAGPRA:
Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act 1990
http://archnet.asu.edu/archnet/topical/crm/usdocs/nagpra14.htm
This site has outlined the Act by dividing it into 13 separate
sections. Information on topics like illegal trafficking,
inventory for human remains, penalties and changes in existing
laws are included.
NAGPRA
is Forever: Osteology and the Repatriation of Skeletons
http://anthro.annualreviews.org/cgi/content/full/25/1/81
This article examines the 1990 Native American Graves Protection
and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and explores the possibility
of forming a partnership between Native Americans and osteologists.
NAGPRA
Legal Mandates Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation
Act, 25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq
http://www.cast.uark.edu/other/nps/nagpra/nagpra.dat/lgm003.html
The full text of the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) can be found at this site.
Native
Americans and the Practice of Archaeology
http://anthro.annualreviews.org/cgi/content/full/25/1/63
In the past, Native Americans have criticized the way archaeology
has been conducted, and the NAGPRA of 1990 was drafted in
response to that criticism. This article addresses the way
both archaeologists and Native Americans have responded,
changed and sometimes worked together as a result of this
Act.
Repatriation
and Reburial Information
http://www.uiowa.edu/~anthro/reburial/repat.htm#Case%20Studies
Sources addressing issues related to the ethical treatment
of the dead by archaeologists, physical anthropologist and
museums can be found at this site. Case studies, ethics
codes, state laws and more are also available.
Repatriation
and Treatment of the Dead: World Archaeological Congress
(WAC)
http://www.wac.uct.ac.za/archive/archive.asp?category=3
Links to codes of ethics as they relate to indigenous peoples,
the Vermilion Accord on Human Rights, papers presented at
WAC congresses & intecongresses plus other materials
can be found at this World Archaeological Congress site.
Repatriation
Issues
http://www.saa.org/Repatriation/index.html
The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) has pulled together
a collection of recent announcements pertaining to the issue
of repatriation. A link to the SAA Statement Concerning
the Treatment of Human Remains is available at this site
and can also be found at
http://www.saa.org/Repatriation/repat_policy.html.
**For
related information on Repatriation and NAGPRA, see the
Kennewick
Man section.**
Yanomami Controversy:
Academic
Scandal in the Internet Age
http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i18/18a01401.htm
In the summer of 2000, Terence Turner and Leslie E. Sponsel,
former leaders of the American Anthropological Association's
(AAA) human-rights and ethics committees received proofs
of Patrick Tierney's book, Darkness in El Dorado.
Confident that this book would be highly controversial in
the academic arena, the two sent out an e-mail "warning"
to the AAA's top officers. Their e-mail notice sparked an
online debate that was completely unexpected, and this January
12, 2001 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education
describes how the Internet proved to be an ideal forum for
this anthropological debate.
American
Anthropologists Criticized for Keeping Yanomami Blood Samples
(must be subscribed to The Chronicle of Higher Education
to access)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/11/2002112502n.htm
Blood samples taken from the Yanomami people in 1968 are
still being held in American labs, and many Yanomami want
the samples returned to their communities. The fate of these
samples and what this may mean for field ethics is discussed
in this November 25, 2002 article from The Chronicle
of Higher Education.
Darkness
in El Dorado
http://www.tamu.edu/anthropology/Neel.html
This Texas A & M site has numerous links to articles
and reports about the Yanomami controversy. It is often
cited on other Web pages that discuss this issue.
Doug's
Anthropological Niche Darkness in El Dorado Information
http://www.anth.uconn.edu/gradstudents/dhume/
darkness_in_el_dorado/index.htm
Doug Hume, a University of Connecticut graduate student
in anthropology, developed this site. Information about
the Yanomami issue is posted as it becomes available.
Napoleon
Chagnon Responds to Darkness in El Dorado by Patrick Tierney
http://www.anth.ucsb.edu/chagnon.html
Napoleon Chagnon, an emeritus professor in the Department
of Anthropology at the University of California Santa Barbara,
and his colleagues have developed this site as a vehicle
to respond to the allegations of misconduct that appear
in Patrick Tierney's book, Darkness in El Dorado.
Scandal
in the Amazon
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0204/q_n_a.html
Scott Wallace, a writer and TV producer, traveled into the
Venezuela rainforests to explore the Yanomami controversy
for his April 2002 article for Adventure entitled,
"Napoleon in Exile." This Q & A interview
with Wallace addresses some of the things found when he
traveled to this area and met the people who are embroiled
in this anthropological controversy.
Summary
of the AAA's El Dorado Task Force Report
http://www.publicanthropology.org/ElDoradoTaskForce/
Summary(Report&Comments).htm
The organization, Public Anthropology, began an Ethics Initiative
in response to the Yanomami controversy with the hope that
the AAA Code of Ethics would be revised.
The
Yanomami Crisis in Anthropology
http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/yanomami01.htm
Jeanne Curran and Susan Takata have developed an online
teaching and review essay on the Yanomami crisis. Links,
related links and "exam" questions are provided.
Yanomamö
- Book States Anthropologist Caused Epidemic
http://www.wadsworth.com/anthropology_d/special_features/news/
cultanthro/epidemic.html
Links to 15 different news articles that track the Yanomamö
controversy are available at this site. Articles starting
with the first pre-publication leaks of the book Darkness
in El Dorado by Patrick Tierney through special sessions
held at the American Anthropological Association meeting
are included.
Other
Ethical Issues in Anthropology:
The
AAA and the CIA
http://www.cia-on-campus.org/social/price.html
The article "The AAA and CIA" appeared in the November
2000 issue of Anthropology News. It discusses the increasing
evidence that American intelligence agencies, like the CIA,
monitored and influenced American social sciences throughout
the Cold War.
Anthropologists
Apologize to Lumads
http://www.mindanews.com/others/arts-culture/anthro.html
Datu Al Saliling of the Arumanen-Manobo in North Cotabato
made a comment regarding the attitudes of researchers and
how some of them look down on the Lumads as "uneducated."
In response to those comments, Professor Leonardo Estracio,
President of UGAT, the Anthropology Association of the Philippines,
made a formal admission of guilt and a public apology to
the Lumads at the UGAT 24th National Conference in April
2002.
Anthropologists
as Spies
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20001120&s=price
"Anthropologists as Spies" discusses the allegations
stated in a letter written by Frank Boas and published in
The Nation in 1919. Boas' letter accuses 4 unnamed
American anthropologists of conducting espionage in Central
American during World War I.
Anthropology
in the News
http://www.tamu.edu/anthropology/news.html
This very popular site has links to anthropology articles
that appear in the news. General anthropological news items,
as well as articles addressing controversial topics are
provided.
Apes
Nest Controversy
http://home.worldcom.ch/~negenter/00AA2ApesNestContro_01.html
"Apes Nest Controversy" is a reply to the rather
"sensational" report, "Did the First Hominids
Build Nests?" by Jordi Sabater Pi et al that appeared
in a 1997 issue of Current Anthropology.
Archaeologist
Faked Important Discovery
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2000/1107/1
Shinichi Fujimura, deputy director of the private Tohoku Paleolithic
Cultural Research Institute, admitted to planting primitive stone tools
at a dig so he could get credit for discovering the oldest tools in
Japan. This article posted in the November 7, 2000 issue of ScienceNOW
details how this case of misconduct was uncovered and what it means
to others involved in the dig.
Archaeologists
and the Looting Trade
http://www.linguafranca.com/9805/dorfman.html
Issues surrounding a Maya collection at the museum of Fine
Arts in Boston are discussed in this article that appeared
in the May 1998 issue of Lingua Franca. The Boston
Globe deemed it to be a "questionable collection."
**The
online version of Lingua Franca has been suspended.
This publication has been purchased by The Chronicle
of Higher Education.**
Archaeology
Magazine
http://www.archaeology.org/
This online publication is a great resource to search for
articles dealing with ethics in the field of archaeology.
Cannibalism
Controversy
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/history_culture/cannibalism.html
Some members of the Hopi Indians in Arizona are convinced
that their ancestors, the Anasazi, were not cannibals as
some researchers believe. This article presents a new theory
offered by some Hopi Indians.
Cave
Looter Allegedly Solicits Murder
http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=online/features
/nevadacave/index
In 1980, Jack Lee Harelson, a former insurance agent, first
began illegally excavating Elephant Mountain Cave, located
in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. Harelson and his wife uncovered
numerous artifacts and remains on this site owned by the
government. Even after a conviction in 1996 for corpse abuse
and possession of stolen property, Harelson continued his
illegal activities. This article from the January 27, 2003
issue of Archaeology, describes Harelson's latest
infraction and discusses other "mysteries" that
may be solved due to his arrest.
Conflicting Concerns and Ideas About Northern Research
http://www.yukoncollege.yk.ca/~agraham/research1.htm
Amanda Graham and her colleague, Professor Jim McDonald,
volunteered to revise the Association of Canadian University
for Northern Studies' Ethical Principles for the Conduct
of Research in the North. This page lists the ethical concerns
and issues that surfaced during this revision process.
Crisis
at the Smithsonian
http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=online/features
/Smithsonian/index
Jasmin Chua, a graduate student in NYU's science and environmental
reporting program, discusses some of the controversies surrounding
the Smithsonian's Secretary, Lawrence Small, in this article
from the September 19, 2002 issue of Archaeology.
Small has been accused of transgressions ranging from selling
the Smithsonian name to the highest bidder to closing certain
research facilities. Other investigations about some of
Small's personal collections have also been under investigation.
A timeline of events and character sketches of some of the
key players involved in this issue are also included.
Crossing
the Line (must be subscribed to The Chronicle of
Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i09/09a00801.htm
Is it acceptable for an anthropologist studying heroin use
to use Federal grant funds to purchase and use the illegal
drug in order to understand his subjects? This article that
appeared in the October 25, 2002 issue of The Chronicle
of Higher Education examines what happened when Ansley
Hamid, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
(NY) was accused of misusing funds and drugs.
Debates
in Anthropology
http://www.ssc.uwo.ca/anthropology/jorgensen/debates_01s.htm
Links to a wide variety of issues being discussed in the
field of anthropology, like the Kennewick Man and the Darkness
in El Dorado, can be found at this site.
Ethics
in Archaeology: An American Perspective
http://almashriq.hiof.no/ddc/projects/archaeology/berytus-back/berytus39/
ethics/index.html
This article by Martha Sharp Joukowsky and published in
a 1991 issue of Berytus, examines the challenges
facing American archaeologists.
Ethics
in Archaeology, Can You Dig It?
http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1056932
Ethical concerns are gaining importance in the field of
archaeology. This article from the March 28, 2002 issue
of The Economist discusses ethical concerns such
as how to treat remains, who owns the artifacts and how
the site should be preserved.
Going
Head-to-Head Over Boas's Data
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/298/5595/942b
Frank Boas, the father of American anthropology, studied
cranial measurements of European immigrants and their offspring
in the early 1900s to determine trends in cranial shapes.
Researchers, like Clarence C. Gravalee from the University
of Michigan (Ann Arbor) believe Boas got it right, while
others, like Corey Sparks, Penn State University (University
Park) disagree. This article from the November 1, 2002 issue
of Science Magazine discusses the ongoing debate
about the roles of genetics, environment and race.
- Heredity,
Environment, and Cranial Form: A Reanalysis of Boas's
Immigrant Data
http://www.aaanet.org/aa/105-1_gravleeetal.pdf
Clarence C. Gravelee and his colleagues posted a paper
online that supports their position months before its
publication in American Anthropologist. The full
text is available on the American Anthropological Association
Web site.
How
Anthropology Should Respond to an Ethical Crisis
http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i06/06b02401.htm
This opinion piece that appeared in The Chronicle of
Higher Education suggests that anthropological crises,
such as the dealing with the Yanomami, should be seen as
an opportunity to foster discussions about ethics in anthropology.
Human
Genome Diversity Project
http://www.stanford.edu/group/morrinst/hgdp.html
This international project consists of anthropologists,
geneticists, doctors, linguists and others. It is still
in the planning stages, but the goal is to document the
"genetic variation of the human species." A FAQ
section is provided at http://www.stanford.edu/group/morrinst/hgdp/faq.html.
Israel:
Icon Under Fire (must be subscribed to The Chronicle
of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i15/15a01601.htm
Nachman Ben-Yehuda, a sociologist and dean of the faculty
of social sciences at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has
written a controversial new book entitled Sacrificing
Truth: Archaeology and the Myth of Masada. In the 1960s,
Israel's most celebrated archaeologist, the late Yigael
Yadin, conducted the "most massive" archaeological
excavation ever attempted in Israel. Ben-Yehuda's book accuses
Yadin of misconduct in researching Masada, but not everyone
agrees. This December 6, 2002 article from The Chronicle
of Higher Education provides some historical background
on Masada and discusses the controversy behind the research
on the second most visited site in Israel.
Additional
information about Masada can be found at the following sites:
Looting
and Theft of Cultural Property
http://www.getty.edu/conservation/resources/newsletter/
15_1/feature1_6.html
Karen D. Vitelli, a professor of anthropology at Indiana
University who has also served as chair of the Ethics Committee
of the Society for American Archaeology, addresses the efforts
of archaeologists to prevent or at least reduce the instances
of looting. Her discussion of these efforts range from strongly
encouraging collectors not to purchase stolen pieces to
changing the way archaeology is taught in academic institutions.
In this Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter from
the Spring of 2000, Vitelli also points out the negative
and positive ramifications of these efforts and whether
or not these approaches to preserving cultural heritage
are effective.
Paluxy
Dinosaur-Man Track Controversy
http://members.aol.com/paluxy2/paluxy.htm
Claims were made of "giant man tracks" occurring
along side of dinosaur tracks in limestone river beds near
Glen Rose, Texas. This site has a collection of articles
about the history and controversy surrounding this claim,
as well as evidence about other out-of-order fossil and
artifact findings.
Penn
Anthropologist Fights Subpoenas for Field Notes Regarding
Artificial Heart Surgery She Observed (must be subscribed
to The Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/03/2003030504n.htm
Sheldon Zink, director of the program for transplant policy
and ethics at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for
Bioethics is fighting a lawsuit that may force her to turn
over her field notes. Zink observed the transplant operations
of the AbioCor heart on a 51 year old patient, and she says
she would rather go to jail than turn over her notes. Details
of the lawsuit and Zink's role in it are discussed in this
article from the March 5, 2003 issue of The Chronicle
of Higher Education.
Saga
of the Persian Princess
http://www.archaeology.org/0101/etc/persia.html
At one point in time, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan's Taliban
regime were all trying to claim a 2600 year old mummified
Persian Princess. The problem discussed in this article
from the January/February 2001 issue of Archaeology
is that this princess has been shown to be a fraud.
Shaming
of the Anthropologist: Ethical Dilemmas During and in the
Aftermath of the Fieldwork Process
http://www.anthropologymatters.com/onlinejournal/RachelBurr.html
Rachel Burr, an instructor at the Open University who has
a PhD in the anthropology of childhood, presents her Vietnam
research experiences in this Anthropology Matters
article. The children Burr studied were ones who were at
risk of contracting the AIDS virus, and who tested positive
for HIV after the fieldwork was completed. Burr examines
ethical situations anthropologists face in the field and
discusses how involved researchers should be in lives of
the people the study and observe.
Spies
Like Us: When Sociologists Deceive their Subjects
http://www.linguafranca.com/9711/9711.allen.html
This article that appeared in the November 1997 issue of
Lingua Franca examines what happened when University
of South Florida sociologist, Carolyn Ellis, became a traitor
in the eyes of the Guinea families she researched.
**The
online version of Lingua Franca has been suspended.
This publication has been purchased by The Chronicle
of Higher Education.**
Thomas
N. Headland Controversies
http://www.sil.org/~headlandt/controv.htm
Links to various anthropological controversies, like the
hunter-gatherer revisionist debate, can be found at this
site.
Back
to Top of Page
Other Anthropology
Ethics Materials
Alaska
Anthropological Association, Alaska Anthropology Links
http://www.alaska.net/~oha/aaa/AAALINKS.HTM
The Alaska Anthropological Association has developed a site
with links to sources about anthropology in Alaska.
Anthropology
Ethics & Fieldwork
http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/guide/soc/anthro/ethics.html
Adelaide University Library (Australia) has put together
a collection of print and online resources on ethical issues
for anthropologists and fieldwork & research techniques.
Anthropology,
Genetic Diversity, and Ethics
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/21st/projects/GeneticDiversity/friedlae.html
A workshop entitled "Anthropology, Genetic Diversity,
and Ethics" was held in 1999 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
This particular site is just one of the many talks given
at that conference.
Binghamton
Univ. Libraries Anthropology Ethics & Responsibility
http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/subjects/anthro/ethics.html
The Binghamton University Library (New York) has an "Ethics
& Responsibility" site with numerous links to professional
ethics, academic responsibility, social responsibility &
public policy and related online publications.
Ethics
and the Archaeologist
http://archaeology.about.com/cs/ethics/index.htm?terms=ethics
K. Kris Hirst, a project archaeologist at Louis Berger Associates,
Inc., has selected a diverse collection of archaeology resources
for her "Ethics and the Archaeologist" site. Materials
on ethics, preservation, controversies and more are available.
Ethics
in Anthropology: Public Presentation of Anthropological
Material
http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbelote/Senior_Seminar/PublicAnth-ethics_in_anthropology.htm
A Senior Seminar class at the University of Minnesota-Duluth
set out to "examine the ethical issues involved in
the presentation of anthropological material to the public,
and to consider the role of public activism by anthropologists."
These students examined codes of ethics from various anthropology
associations & organizations, reviewed the literature
on this topic, and interviewed anthropologists. This document
is a culmination of their findings.
European
Archaeological Heritage Convention
http://fletcher.tufts.edu/multi/www/bh997.html
This document outlines the principles agreed to by the member
States of the Council of Europe and the other States of
the European Cultural Convention.
Legal
Background of Archeological Resources Protection
http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/PUBS/TECHBR/tch11a.htm
Despite numerous laws passed by various agencies, looting
continues to be a problem. This online document outlines
the current civil and criminal actions that have been taken
since the passage of the Archaeological Resources Protection
Act (ARPA), potential areas of application for ARPA, other
archaeological resource protection rules and regulations
and case patterns.
Overview
of Conservation in Archaeology; Basic Conservation Procedures
http://nautarch.tamu.edu/class/anth605/File1.htm
This overview was one segment of the conservation materials
initially posted in the spring semester of 1998 for use
by students enrolled in the Texas A & M class, "Conservation
of Cultural Resources." Issues addressed include conservation
ethics as well as basic procedures, storage of materials
and other treatment recommendations.
Training Students in Archaeological Ethics
http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/saa/lynstep.html
In the past, most archaeology students worked in university
departments and learned the skills that would be important
to their future as a professor. Ethics was learned informally,
often from their peers. Today, those in archaeology have
other types of employment options, and are sometimes employed
outside the university setting. This paper by Mark Lynott
and Vincas P. Steponatis was prepared for the SAA workshop
on "Enhancing Undergraduate and Graduate Education
and Training in Public Archaeology and Cultural Resource
Management" in February 1998. It addresses the ethical
gray areas that exist in archaeology and argues for the
development & implementation of formal ethics training
programs.
Useful
Anthropology Resources: Methods & Ethics
http://www4.gvsu.edu/anthropology/links.html#Methods
Russell Rhoads, a sociocultural anthropologist at Grand
Valley State University (Michigan), has compiled a list
of links in areas, such as Medical Anthropology, Archaeology,
and Indigenous Peoples. A section on Methods/Ethics is also
included.
WWW
Virtual Library Anthropology General Ethics
http://vlib.anthrotech.com/General/Ethics
The WWW Virtual Library has an Anthropology section that
includes links to ethics materials.
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