Museum Anthropology

In 2009, the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, Canada, closed for six months for expansion and extensive renovations to the original building, designed by world-renowned architect Arthur Erickson. This series of photographs by David Campion documents the emergence of Haida artist Bill Reid’s great sculpture The Raven and the First Men from the plywood shelter custom built around the work to protect it during construction. This piece is recognized around the world as a sculptural icon, and draws thousands of visitors to MOA each year. It is carved out of yellow cedar, and tells the story of the origin of the Haida people. Like the Raven, the museum itself is newly emerging from a period of renewal – both physical and philosophical – and now stands poised to meet the challenges of museology in the 21st century.

The images on the front and back covers illustrate two of several reflections in this issue on the impacts of technology on the world studied by anthropologists. On the front cover, an internet cafe is one of the first sights to greet visitors to Dhunche, once a ‘remote’ area in northern Nepal. On the back cover, a youth tries out a telescope during the commemoration of the confirmation of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity at Roça Sundy, Príncipe, where Arthur Eddington observed a total solar eclipse.

Back cover caption: Anthropology in China

In China the history of anthropology is tightly linked to the discovery and documentation of ethnic diversity within the state.

The 16th Congress of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences was held in China in summer 2009 in the southwestern state of Yunnan, where this diversity is most pronounced. Participants were encouraged to visit model communities, enjoy music and dance performances by the minorities, and admire their colourful costumes, as in this picture, which shows how VIP guests were welcomed to the closing ceremony of the Congress.

Yet just a few weeks earlier, at the other end of the country in Xinjiang, almost 200 people were killed in the worst ethnic rioting since Liberation 60 years ago.

While most economic and educational indicators suggest that socialist ethnic policies have been an impressive success, evidently not all is harmonious. Especially among Tibetans and Uyghurs, policies of recognition and the emphasis on a territorial homeland have fostered aspirations which cannot be satisfied by stepping up support for folklore and building ever larger ethnic museums and theme parks.

In these regions, the evidence which power holders present as proof of progress and integration, and even as the accomplishment of an ancient civilizing mission, is interpreted locally in terms of assimilation. These tensions constrain the possibilities for anthropological research, for Chinese and foreign scholars alike.

In his contribution to this issue, Chris Hann juxtaposes his impressions of the Congress in Kunming with his experiences of rural fieldwork among the Uyghurs of Xinjiang.

Contents

Stuart Kirsch 1
Moral dilemmas and ethical controversies
Gregory Forth 3
Heads under bridges or in mud: Reflections on a Southeast Asian ‘diving rumour’
Anthony Shelton and Gustaaf Houtman 7
Negotiating new visions: Interview with Anthony Shelton
Fuambai S. Ahmadu and Richard A. Shweder 14
Disputing the myth of the sexual dysfunction of circumcised women: An interview with Fuambai Ahmadu by Richard Shweder
Carlos D. Londoño Sulkin 17
Anthropology, liberalism and female genital cutting

Narrative

Chris Hann 20
Of conferences and conflicts: 16th Congress of the IUAES, China
Keith Hart 24
An anthropologist in the world revolution

Obituary

Thérèse Bouysse-Cassagne and Tristan Platt 26
Olivia Harris (1948-2009): An appreciation

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