fiction and poetry competition for anthropologists

Anthropology Newsletter/February 199© 15

pros and cons of the ways videotapes arecurrently being screened during theAAA meetings. Many participants en-hance their presentations by incorporat-ing visual materials—data and findingsare illustrated using overhead projectors,slide projectors, motion picture projec-tors, and more recently video decks andmonitors. What is the problem with thissituation? In three out of these fourcases, audience members have a fightingchance of appreciating the imagery, thatis, by being able to see somethingslightly larger than a postage stamp im-age. In video presentations, however,my sense is that the tape should havebeen left in the hotel room. When some-one takes the time and effort (and, ofcourse, money) to prepare visual mate-rials—usually an ambitious project—theassumption is that the images are worthlooking at, and that failure to see themwill severely detract from the effective-ness of the presentation. If this is so,why do we find ourselves walking into aroom that seats between 50 and 200 peo-ple and find one 20-inch monitor at thefront of the room? Am I way off the markto suggest that people beyond the fifthrow and/or people seated within 10 seatson either side of the monitor are not get-ting what the speaker intended? This alsohappens in the film sessions—is this fairto film and video makers? Is this how wewatch a TV monitor in other viewingcontexts—50 feet or more away from thescreen?

Please understand that this is not acriticism of organizers of sessions withvideo presentations or the very ambi-tious program of films shown throughoutthe meetings. My point is that the videomonitor has seemingly begun to replacethe film screen in unquestioned and un-critical ways. I am also suggesting thatthis is not just an "A-V issue" with itstrivial and sometimes pejorative conno-tations. This situation may suggest ageneral lack of respect for visual presen-tations and a lapse in attention given toproducing the most effective communi-cation of information. While we may beready to incorporate new technology intoour work, we should also attend to thecommon sense features of screening ourwork.

I will be suggesting that people with

video materials make a greater effort touse either larger projection screens orseveral monitors, and that the Associa-tion consider making this equipmentavailable during the annual meetings ona regular basis. Any comments in sup-port or refutation of this position wouldbe appreciated.

New "What Is SVA?" Statement

As SVA members may recall, wehave been working on a new descriptionof the Society, our interests and activi-ties. A revised statement has beendrafted and appears as follows. Pleasesend comments, suggested additions,deletions, rewrites to me—Dept of Anth(025-21), Temple U, Philadelphia, PA19122.

The Society for Visual Anthropology pro-motes the production and use of image mediafor the description, analysis and interpreta-tion of human (and sometimes nonhuman)behaviors such as perception, interaction anda broad array of codes and modes of interper-sonal and mass communication. Membershave interests in kinesics, proxemics and re-lated forms of body motion communication(eg, gesture, emotion, dance, sign language)as well as visually realized and appreciatedaspects of the built environment, includingarchitecture and examples of high, folk andvernacular art objects.

The Society encourages the use of imageand auditory media, including still photog-raphy, film, video, and non-camera-gener-ated images, in the production of ethno-graphic, archeological and other anthropo-logical genres, and in the teaching of anthro-pology. Members give attention to hownotions and aspects of culture can be pictori-ally/visually interpreted and expressed andhow images can be understood as expressionsof culture. The Society also supports thestudy of how professional, amateur and in-digenous forms of pictorial/auditory produc-tions are grounded in personal, social, cul-tural and ideological contexts, and how an~thropological productions can be exhibitedmost effectively in classrooms, museums andon television.

Members of the Society receive the Societyfor Visual Anthropology Review as a benefitof membership. Additionally, the Societysponsors an annual commendation-grantingfestival of film' and video productions, orga-nizes an annual Visual Research Conference,and publishes a Directory of Visual Anthro-pology.

CorrespondenceContinued from page 3

1. Is humankind biologically incapable ofrecognizing future threats to our species andtaking appropriate corrective action?

2. Why is humankind so obsessed withpresent material gain to the detriment of ourplanet's future potential to sustain life?

3. What elements of culture, particularlyWestern technological culture, are responsi-ble for the neglect of our environment?

4. Are our political and economic systems

incapable of appropriate action to save ourplanet?

There is no end to the demanding ques-tions. Are there any anthropologists whocare? Are there any anthropologists who havethe desire to help to save our planet, to savehumanity, to save perhaps life itself? As astudent of anthropology I have been inun-dated with studies of "primitives," of evo-lution, of bones, of the theory of culture.Why have we not heard anthropology'sthoughts on the very serious problems facinghumankind today, not only the problems ofyesterday?

I do so hope my reflections are wrong.

John E ColmanMcMaster University

The Society for Humanistic Anthro-pology announces the fifth annual juriedcompetition for fiction and poetry writ-ten by anthropologists. With increasinginterest among anthropologists in eth-nographic writing, this competition isdesigned to encourage the exploration ofdiverse forms of representing what an-thropology is and what anthropologistsdo. If we accept Sol Tax's definition that"anthropology is what anthropologistsdo," then it is increasingly evident thatpoetry and fiction (and also creative non-fiction) arising out of our work and livesas anthropologists are, in fact, anthro-pology. More and more anthropologistsare writing creatively for publication, ina sense renewing and strengthening along-standing tradition. The spirit of thiscompetition is "humanistic," since itunapologetically celebrates the humanexperience of both anthropologist andsubjects through the use of poetic andfictive language. Short story submis-sions should be limited to two stories perauthor and to approximately 20 manu-script pages. Poems should be limited to1-2 pages, and each submission maycontain up to three poems. Materialshould be previously unpublished. Win-ning poetry and fiction will receiveawards at the 1990 annual meeting of theAAA and will be published in a specialissue of the Anthropology and Human-ism Quarterly. The submission fee is $5for members of the Society for Human-istic Anthropology and $20 for othermembers of the American Anthropolog-ical Association; the latter fee also pro-vides a year's membership in SHA, in-cluding a year's subscription to theQuarterly. Checks should be made pay-able to the AAA. The deadline for sub-missions is May 30, 1990. Submissionsand further inquiries should be made to

(Fiction) Gregory Reck, Dept of Anth,Appalachian State U, Boone, NC 28608;and (Poetry) Brace Grindal, Dept ofAnth, Florida State U, Tallahassee, FL32306.

The Eileen Basker memorial prizewas established by the Society for Med-ical Anthropology to promote superiorresearch in the area of gender and health.The award is made annually, in memoryof Eileen Basker, to scholars from anydiscipline or nation, for a finished work(book, article, film, PhD dissertation)produced within the preceding threeyears. The focus of the award is changedeach year to reflect the various interestsof Eileen Basker. In 1988, the award wasmade to Emily Martin for her book, TheWoman in the Body. In 1989, the awardwas made to Joan Jacobs Brumberg forher book, Fasting Girls. This year, theaward again will be made for a work (orworks) in the general area of gender andhealth with a special consideration beinggiven to work(s) in the area of genderand alternative health care systems.

Individuals must be nominated for thisaward by a person who can verify the im-pact of this particular work on the field.The prize will be given at the annualmeeting of the SMA and announced atthe AAA meeting. The award recipientwill be asked to attend the meeting to re-ceive the award. The members of theBasker Prize Committee are PamelaBrink (Alberta), Virginia Domingues(Duke) and Joseph Kaufert (Manitoba).

Submit letters of nomination with thefinished work by July 1, 1990, to PamelaBrink, Chair, Eileen Basker MemorialPrize Committee, Faculty of Nursing, 3-106 CSB, U Alberta, Edmonton, Al-berta, CANADA T0B 0E0; FAX: 403/492-2551; Bitnet: PBRINK @ UAL-TAVM. ..:'.

Prepared by Thomas D. BiakeSy and Pamela A. R. Blakely

The Directory of Visual Anthropology is organized in two main parts:Directory Listing and Bibliography, it includes:

• Biographical data on 337 people involved in and around visualanthropology, members and nonmembers of the Society for Vi-sual Anthropology, in North America and elsewhere.

• Description of the current status of visual anthropology preparedby the Biakelys.

© Bibliography of publications relevant to visual anthropology• Index of contributors' world area interests (including scholarly

and fieldwork languages).

The Directory of Visual Anthropology was a membership benefit of theSociety for Visual Anthropology for persons who Joined before the endof 1989. The Directory is available for $5 from the American Anthropol-ogist Association.

Please include payment, in U.S. funds, with all orders.

American Anthropological Association1703 New Hampshire Avenue, NW

Washington, DC-20009 •. '

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