Wednesday, October 29, 2008

MInerva controversy

"In any case, the best of today’s anthropologists are practically paralyzed by their awareness of the way power shapes and corrupts knowledge."
Priya Satia

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

And yet Minerva seems to at least initiate a thoughtfulness about this paralysis that perhaps wasn't sufficiently present before now. Look at the other essays posted alongside Satia's. I've been struck by the number of anthropologists who are torn about this subject. http://www.ssrc.org/essays/minerva/category/research/

Dylan said...

i suppose you are right about initiating a thoughtfulness about the paralysis. However, im concerned that our being torn about the subject is another way to continue our inertia and watch power (in the militarisation of society and the further encouragement of neoliberal strategies) to do what it wants while we watch on.

Oppressive structures are not fixed they continually transform, i believe while the brightest minds struggle with the rights and wrongs, the morality and the interrogation of data about Minerva's pros/cons that can only come after Minerva is implemented, are conscience will have been dispossessed and transformed; and dissenting voices will be sidelined.