Academic suppression?????
Gil Hardwick
the first anthropologist (myself) being denied access to ANTHRO-L, now
crying over one of his fellow Americans being the first to be denied
tenure at an Australian University.
Sorry, UWA is my own turf, Hugh. I know very well what problems there
are associated with the Anthropology Department there (now including
the Archaeology Department), but I am also well aware of the wider
social and political issues associated with our discipline here in
Western Australia centrally focussed around Aboriginal Affairs.
The first matter I would raise in comment here, is the very public
difference between myself and Dr Rhindos on the matter of categories
in Aboriginal culture, played out on this very news.group. In that
case Dr Rhindos quite openly attempted to discredit my own lifetime's
experience with Aboriginal people on the basis of his one phone call
apparently to an outstation!
I have met the man myself, and my impression is that his entire career
has been built not on field research at all, but on his ability to
berate and bully all and sundry on the logic of his own evolutionary
theories. In the local pub, drinking and chain-smoking all the while
for that matter.
Secondly, and this is rumour passed to me by several reputable and
long-standing Western Australian anthropologists as to Dr Rhindos'
"Puppy Parties" focussed I am told on a local boy they called "Puppy".
Hmm, strange dicey behaviour indeed, especially here in an environment
dominated by conservative fundamentalists.
Thirdly, and far more substantially, there are extremely serious
questions arising here concerning an ongoing political campaign here
against the Anthropology Department, most notably targetting the
department's long-standing support for Aboriginal Land Rights against
powerful international mining lobbies. This particular episode comes
of great interest right in the midst of our national debate over the
effects of the High Court's finding last year in favour of Eddie Mabo.
I am sorry Hugh, but if someone for whom I might have a little more
respect than yourself had posted what you did, I would have hesitated
to post my own reply to your scurrilous attack on the University of
Western Australia, I can only imagine prompted by powerful vested
interests lacking the guts and the integrity to come out and speak
honestly on important issues deeply affecting Western Australia. If
you are on their payroll, I detest your involvement in this matter;
if you are not on their payroll I can only assume you are a complete
fool.
As has been Dr Rhindos, apparently believing that since he is an
American he is somehow immune from the criticism of his non-American
colleagues in *their* country.
In the meantime your hysteria, in my case earlier when you decided
unilaterally to deny me access to ANTHRO-L, and in this present case
now, does not in any way bring you credibility.
The rest of you professors, lecturers, staff, students, professionals
and sundry lurkers and lookers-on, I do ask that yoy think critically
about what is going on here. Please be a little more intelligent than
to be swayed by grossly exaggerated and one-sided campaigns by a media
to which only one party has ready access. Please think about which
powerful politicians and vested interests might be behind this whole
business.
Please think that the real victims are the Aboriginal people here.
Thank you.
Gil Hardwick AARNet: g...@tillage.DIALix.oz.au
Derby/West Kimberley, WA (Remote via laptop)
* Anthropological Research - Sustainable Community Development *
* Land Management Consultation - Permaculture Design *
Gil Hardwick
fashion here by friend Jarvis.
Several years before the Rhindos "whistle-blowing" incident, done
while the professor cited was away in China BTW, another foreign
teacher posted anonymous slander against an Australian anthropology
professor to the now previous vice-chancellor.
Well now, we Australians have this idea that if someone has a gripe or
complaint against someone, they go and discuss the matter with them
first. Going behind someone's back and raising charges to a "higher
authority", especially without the person concerned knowing anything
about it, is regarded as a most despicable act, worthy of the utmost
contempt.
We don't see ourselves as being so perfect, but one having become a
professor through the due processes of academic selection can hardly
be regarded a criminal, even if they don't happen to be British or
American. (I understand Canada is part of North America BTW, Hugh, or
has it recently floated off to join Iceland or somewhere).
We might further have utterly wet neonates such as friend Vigdor who
regard Australians as, quote, "horrible", but then we stay home and
are only horrible on our own patch where because everyone is horrible
we are able to accept one another as peers and colleagues. If you
foreign barbarians, as you no doubt dislike Chinese, Blacks, whoever,
for whatever reason you might imagine (they might not be horrible, just
ugly, or talk on a funny accent, or [GASP!] heterosexual and happily
married with children), why don't you simply stay home where things
are as you prefer?
I might well be horrible, but I will openly and honestly approach the
person and want to speak plainly with them about a difficulty I am
having. You don't have to like it, life isn't perfect, but at least
you know where you stand. At least you know WHAT it is I might be
concerned about, and what action I have taken on the matter. Above
board and out in the open.
The difference is that you barbarians have no such manners.
Why would any of you people go to another country and act in such an
underhand manner as to blow your little whistles on those people behind
their back, in these two cases ON Australians actually TO Australian
authorities?
As if any of you were ever going to get away with it?
Ever stopped to think about why in fact American anthropologists in
more and more countries are being treated with such disdain by the
local people, you know, all those horrible ugly primitive types with
their funny accents and peculiar manners?
Do you all believe yourselves to be so superior, so correct in your
behaviour that the moment we complain or retaliate you have a warship
on standby ready to launch your missiles against us, as you do against
others?
Or would you prefer rather to be getting on with some real anthropology
among real living people instead? That's what we are about, isn't it?
Del Cotter
Good.
--
',' ' ',',' | | ',' ' ',','
', ,',' | Del Cotter mt9...@brunel.ac.uk | ', ,','
',' | | ','
Dan Herrin
>Ever stopped to think about why in fact American anthropologists in
>more and more countries are being treated with such disdain by the
>local people, you know, all those horrible ugly primitive types with
>their funny accents and peculiar manners?
I'm keen to know more about this disdain.
Dan
John Wilkins, Manager, Publishing
(Gil Hardwick) wrote:
[Total bullshit deleted]
Please don't get the impression that all Australians are such complete
illiterate fools as this man. Just because he has access to an internet
account does not make him an exemplar of Australian scholarship. Some of us
actually try to overcome cultural stereotyping of ourselves and others.
This article has a money-back guarantee
John Wilkins - Manager, Publishing
Monash University, Melbourne Australia
Internet: john_w...@udev.monash.edu.au
Tel: (+613) 565 6009
Monash and I often, but not always, concur
Gil Hardwick
Yes, thanks Del. I feel a lot better now.
BTW, good to see you still around. Hang in there, mate.
Gil Hardwick
Hi Dan,
Yes, please do contact Hugh Jarvis for more information. He appears to
have quite a lot to say about us Third World countries where things are,
you know, a tad slow academically. ;-)
From what I can gather from these periodic campaigns against us, we
appear to represent some sort of intellectual black hole your clever
British and American scholars get sucked unwittingly into.
Oh well, siesta time again. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Gil Hardwick
> Please don't get the impression that all Australians are such complete
> illiterate fools as this man. Just because he has access to an internet
> account does not make him an exemplar of Australian scholarship. Some of us
> actually try to overcome cultural stereotyping of ourselves and others.
>
> This article has a money-back guarantee
Oh, please don't feel it necessary to intervene on my behalf, John.
Most of us here are old mates from way back when . . .
Gil
John Wilkins, Manager, Publishing
(Gil Hardwick) wrote:
>
>
> In article <john_wilkins...@manager.ccc.monash.edu.au> john_w...@udev.monash.edu.au writes:
>
> > Please don't get the impression that all Australians are such complete
> > illiterate fools as this man. Just because he has access to an internet
> > account does not make him an exemplar of Australian scholarship. Some of us
> > actually try to overcome cultural stereotyping of ourselves and others.
> >
> > This article has a money-back guarantee
>
> Oh, please don't feel it necessary to intervene on my behalf, John.
> Most of us here are old mates from way back when . . .
>
> Gil
>
>
comment. And i think it obvious I was not intervening on YOUR behalf.