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Over the past two years we have confronted the devastation of
COVID-19 and the inequalities it has exposed.
Like the rest of the world, we have witnessed excessive use of force in
policing that disproportionately affects communities of color. We have seen efforts to quash peaceful
protests. We are also experiencing
efforts to cut public education in New York City, despite the socioeconomically
and ethnically diverse communities CUNY serves and the upward social mobility
it fosters.
Over the decades we have worked to empower students of color
and strived to fight injustice. That is
our heritage; it is grounded in the legacy of Hortense Powdermaker; the respect
for the efforts and martyrdom of our student, Andrew Goodman, a civil rights
worker who was murdered in Mississippi in 1964; and the accomplishments of our
current alumni and students who represent the diversity of the people we serve
but also reflect the educational obstacles presented by persistent inequalities. We will humbly continue to work to live up to
the standards set for us, and to demand change.
In her study of race in Mississippi in the 1930s in a
community where there were still people who had been born as slaves and slave
owners, our founder, Hortense Powdermaker, wrote of the hope that African
American interlocutors placed in education: “They looked to
education as the great and indispensable foundation of democracy. Education was
to fit every citizen for participation in government, and to spread the doctrine that every citizen should be
allowed to participate. It was viewed as the gateway to equal opportunity, the
threshold of a new and better life” (1939: 299-300).
To achieve that goal, our alumna, Dr. Leith Mullings, encouraged
us to forge an antiracist anthropology. This
means that we must challenge all forms of racism, including current forms that
“seek to make the social appear natural and ruthless inequality appear as
common sense“ (Mullings 2005, 679).
Based on the actions of Andrew Goodman, we have to ask
ourselves, what are we willing to give up to bring about change?
In seeking to foster the hope that Powdermaker
documented, pursue the course of action that Dr. Mullings advocated, and
respect the legacy of Andrew Goodman, we condemn the following:
1. The
use of force, intimidation, and bias in law enforcement that results in people
of color being treated differently than their white peers;
2. The
persistent inequalities that lead to disproportionate levels of illness and
death in communities of color, and the associated public policies that create
unequal access to healthcare;
3. The
persistent underfunding of public education in one of the richest cities in the
world.
| NEWS & UPDATES |
| Our
Fall 2023 schedule is now available! Sign up to meet with a faculty
member during advising week (Mar. 17 - Mar. 24) and register for next
semester courses. Sign up sheets are available in 314 Powdermaker Hall.
Professor Megan Victor and QC Anthro students have created an education-driven digital laboratory displaying 3-D images of archaeological artifacts from the field. Check out this lab here at https://sketchfab.com/digitalarch and keeping checking in for updates! Professor Juan Luis Rodriguez Aponte's new book, Language and Revolutionary Magic in the Orinoco Delta, has won the 2021 New Voices Book Prize from the Society for Linguistic Anthropology. For more information, follow this link. Welcome back QC students! Check out our four NEW specialized minors: Human Ecology, Power and Inequality, Cultural Heritage and Memory, and Health and Culture. For more information regarding these new minor requirements, click here. Professor Murphy Hallburton recently wrote an editorial piece in The Hindu on COVID vaccine patents and the Indian pharmaceutical industry. To read the article, click here. Professor Miki Makihara was interviewed by CBS Sunday Morning for a piece on Easter Island. For more details, click here. We are pleased to announce Anthropology Peer Tutoring sponsored by the Anthro Society. See attached pdf for more details. Anthropology Adjunct Instructors, Jemima Georges and Katarina Evans received research grants to support their PhD research. Georges received a DDIG from NSF and Evans was the recipient of a L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Grant. For more information on the funded projects, click here. Professor Jim Moore retired at the end of January 2021, after 40 years of research, teaching, and service to the Queens College Community. For more on Professor Moore's work and contributions to the field and the QC community, click here. In Spring 2020, the department introduced the Warren DeBoer Memorial Scholarship in memory of Dr. DeBoer, a former QC Anthropology professor. This scholarship is given to the most promising junior student concentrating in archaeology. To learn more about the award or to make a donation in honor of Dr. DeBoer, click here. Karen Strassler's new book, "Demanding Images" is an account of Indonesia's turbulent democratic transition, as well as an analysis of images in the era of digital media and neoliberal democracy. For more book information, click here. Are you a QC Anthropology alum who would like share news about your life, career, research and/or family? Please refer to the Anthropology Alumni page for more on how to keep in touch with our department! Follow QC Anthropology on Facebook: @QCAnthro, and get regular updates on new courses and upcoming events. LEARN MORE |
Like our page @QCAnthro for updates on department events, courses, talks and more.
