THE RESOLUTION
Submitted on Behalf of the Executive Board by
Dell Hymes and George M. Foster
Introduced at New Orleans Meeting
November 1969
Whereas the participation in research and teaching of persons of diverse backgrounds is essential to objectivity and relevance in anthropology;
and whereas knowledge of significant aspects of communities and groups is often accessible only to persons with roots in those communities and groups;
and whereas persons with roots in other than the white middle-class sector of American society can make invaluable contributions to knowledge of all sectors of contemporary life;
and whereas few persons from other than the white middle-class sector now enter anthropology in the United States and achieve professional recognition; therefore, be it resolved that the American Anthropological Association urges vigorous recruitment of students of Black, Chicano, American Indian, Asian and other such backgrounds into anthropology in universities and colleges, and vigorous efforts to hire and facilitate the careers of such persons in the profession.
THE CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
The Executive Board has established an ad hoc Committee on Minority Participation which will implement the pertinent resolution passed at the Annual Meeting for which mail ballot ratification is anticipated. The Committee is to recommend immediate and long range methods for enabling the profession to move speedily to increase the number of anthropologists of minority background.
The Committee will consist of seven members and will include Fellows as well as other members of the Association; graduate students especially are sought. It is expected that committee members' life experience or immediate professional experience will be related to minority participation. The Executive Board liaison member on the Committee is James L. Gibbs, Jr.
Persons wishing to make nominations for the Committee should send names of nominees, together with a brief statement of qualifications, to Gibbs.
Questionnaire from the Committee on Minorities and Anthropology
American Anthropological Association
The Committee on Minorities and Anthropology is anxious to gather information on the perspectives of minority anthropologists. We feel that the Executive Board and the entire membership of the AAA must be made aware of the attitudes of minority anthropologists and must become more responsive to the needs and interests of minority people. Now is your opportunity to help us formulate these views so that the profession can take steps to change anthropology and the attitude of anthropologists toward minorities both as professional colleagues and as objects of study.
The Committee on Minorities and Anthropology grew out of a resolution introduced at the 1969 AAA Annual Meeting, urging the vigorous recruitment of minority students and encouraging efforts to facilitate their careers in the profession. A statement from the AAA Board in May 1971 recognized the constraint placed by the original resolution on the work of the Committee and urged it to broaden its perspective to include the question of the improvement of research dealing with minorities and minority-majority relations and other issues, and to present its findings in some useful fashion.
As a colleague in anthropology of minority background, you are being urged to participate in the present survey. As you will see, taken as a whole, the questionnaire is strongly qualitative, or subjective--and deliberately so--because this will be more helpful to the Committee.
We have not asked you to answer anonymously since it would be easy to identify respondents from addresses, ethnic background and information about publications and professional activities. If you object to the second part of the questionnaire, please answer the first part and tell us why you object. All answers will be kept confidential. The questionnaire will not be available to other than the members of this Committee, and no one will be identified in the report by name. Where specific examples are asked for, it is requested that you give details of the situation without using the names of the persons involved. In order to explore selected problems in greater depth, we would like to follow this questionnaire with personal interviews in some cases. Please indicate in question 28 your willingness to be interviewed.
We invite you to add commentary or further information not specifically requested in the wording of this questionnaire. It you need more space to answer any question, please write on the back of the page or add additional sheets. Please return the questionnaire and comments within two weeks to the chairman.
Part I. Personal Information
It will help us to understand the career lines and experiences of minority anthropologists if you will provide the following information. Enclose a vita for personal information if you prefer, indicating where on the vita the information requested here can be found.
1. Name
2. Address (City) / (State) / (Zip Code)
3. Birth Date
4. Place of Birth
5. Sex
6. Present Title
7. Place of Employment
(University or Institution)
(Department or Affiliation)
8. Academic degrees: date received, awarding institution, and current status if not awarded.
9. Positions held, place, date.
10. Offices and committee assignments in professional organizations, universities, and the local community.
a. Committee assignments filled or offices held in professional organizations.
Organization Dates Assignment or Office
b. Committee assignments filled or offices held in the university context.
University Dates Assignment or Office
c. Committee assignments filled, offices or consultantships held in the community.
City Dates Activity
d. Other professional activities or consultantships.
Place Dates Activity
e. How many books and articles have you published?
f. How many have you submitted for publication?
g. How many have you been invited to prepare?
11a. Fellowships and grants received, amount, dates, and duration.
b. How many awards have you applied for? Give dates.
12a. Which languages were spoken in your home when you were a child?
b. Which languages are spoken in your home now?
13a. Do you consider yourself to be a minority anthropologist?
b. What term or phrase can best be used to refer to your ethnic background? (Black, Chicano, American Indian, Chinese, Japanese, other)
c. What term or phrase can best be used inclusively to refer to a wider ethnic or minority category with which you identify? (Non-white, white, European, non-European, African, Asian, other)
d. Have you changed your surname because of your minority status?
Part II. Personal and Professional Experiences
14. Do you feel that your experiences have differed in anthropology either positively or negatively from those of non-minority anthropologists? If so, please tell us in what ways.
15. Were your experiences as a student different from those of nonminority students? If so, please tell us in what ways.
16. It has been said that the intellectual contributions of minority anthropologists are not given the same consideration as those of non-minority anthropologists. For example, the writings of minority anthropologists are often not reviewed in professional journals, not quoted or cited, and seldom used as required readings. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? If you agree, can you think of examples? If you disagree, please comment.
17. Do you feel that you have been discriminated against in your professional career because of race, color, or creed?
Yes ______ No ______
Please cite examples or comment. In thinking about how to answer, you may wish to consider some or all of the following aspects of a career line: (qualifications required for teaching and research positions, difficulties in acquiring beginning posts, awarding of half-time positions; salaries; promotions; tenure; pressure to publish; teaching responsibilities, e.g., course load, choice of courses, evaluation of performance; other aspects of the professional role, e.g., committee assignments, executive positions; employment outside the university; pressures for third-world or community involvement.)
18. Some minority anthropologists say that in contrast to non-minority anthropologists they have been utilized in the following ways: field worker and interviewer; liaison to a minority, ethnic or cultural group; "cultural broker-interpreter" for majority member anthropologists; informant. Does your experience, both as a student and professional anthropologist now, bear out this assertion? If so, please tell us about it. If you disagree, please comment.
19. It has also been asserted that minority anthropologists have been excluded from making theoretical formulations, interpretations of research findings, and policy decisions. Does your experience both as a student and a professional anthropologist bear but this assertion? If so, please tell us about it. If not, please comment.
20. How do you feel about anthropology?
21. Do you feel that anthropological studies in the past have rendered service or disservice to minority groups in American society? Please include specific examples you may know of in your answer.
22a. How do you assess the research which has been conducted on your minority group?
b. Do you think such work can be improved? Please comment.
23. Can you suggest ways in which anthropology can be used to serve the needs of minority groups in the United States?
24. Do you advise minority students to enter anthropology? Why or why not?
25. Can you suggest ways in which anthropology can be made more relevant for minority students?
26. Can you give an estimate of the number of students of minority background at your university or institution who are interested in anthropology?
Undergraduate?
Graduate?
27. Knowing what you know now, if you were starting a career would you become an anthropologist? Why or why not?
28. Further study: Would you agree to participate in a follow-up interview in order to facilitate the work of the Committee?
Yes ______ No ______
29. Please comment on this questionnaire
Tables
Table 1. Responses to Question 4: Birth place of Respondents by Ethnic Group
American Asian Spanish- Black Indian Speaking Western US California 1 1 1 1 Oklahoma 1 Oregon 1 Central US Illinois 1 1 Michigan 1 Ohio 2 South Dakota 1 Southern US Alabama 2 Kentucky 1 West Virginia 1 Eastern US Massachusetts 1 New York 1 3 Pennsylvania 2 Puerto Rico 1 Argentina 1 China 2 Costa Rica 1 India 1 Japan 2 Korea 1 Mexico 1 Nigeria 1 Pakistan 1 Spain 1 No answer 1 Total 4 9 8 16
Table 2. Responses to Question 13a: Do you consider yourself to be a minority anthropologist?
American Asian Spanish- Black
Indian Speaking
Yes 1 5 5 13
In a mixed way 1
Depends on context 1
Depends on definition;
like to be just
anthropologist 1
Considered such by
majority 1
No 1 2
But treated as one 1
Just an anthropologist
(not minority anthr) 1 1
Clashes w/ego 1
Yes & No 1
Don't know what it means 1
Total 4 9 8 16
Table 3. Responses to the Question 13b: What term or phrase can best be used to refer to your ethnic background/
American Asian Spanish- Black
Indian Speaking
American Indian 2
White-Amer Indian 1
Iroquois-Mohawk-
American Indian 1
Chinese 2
Japanese 4
Korean 1
Pakistani 1
Oriya-Indian 1
Black Puerto Rican 1
Chicano 1
Latin American 2
Mexican (Mexico) 1
Portuguese 1
Spanish, Mexican (Mexico) 1
Half-Spanish 1
Black 13
Black (African) 1
Black, Afro-American 1
Culture = American
(Alabama Hillbilly) 1
Total 4 9 8 16
Table 4. Responses to the Question 13c: What term or phrase can best be used inclusively to refer to a wider ethnic or minority category with which you identify?
American Asian Spanish- Black Indian Speaking Non-White 1 American Indian 1 White-American Indian 1 Non-Euro American- Third World 1 Asian 7 Asian to a limited extent 1 European, Latin American, Foreign born, alien 1 Latin American 1 Non-White, Black- Third World 1 White 1 Mexican 1 Mexican of Mexico, white of recent European stock 1 "Other" 2 African 3 American 1 Third World 1 Afro-American 1 No Answer 2 Statement 2 Total 4 9 8 16
Table 5. Responses to Question 12a: Which language was spoken in your home when you were a child?
American Asian Spanish- Black Indian Speaking English 1 14 Chinese 2 Japanese 3 Portuguese 1 Spanish 3 Oriya 1 English-Spanish 3 1 Igbo-Eyik 1 English-Cherokee 1 English-Japanese 1 Japanese-Korean 1 Spanish-French 1 Dakota-English-French 1 French-Enalish-Mohawk 1 Urdu-Panjabi-English 1 Total 4 9 8 16
Table 6. Responses to the Question 12b: Which languages are spoken in your home now?
American Asian Spanish- Black Indian Speaking English 1 5 1 13 French 1 Spanish 1 Oriya 1 English-Spanish 5 English-Chinese 1 English-Japanese 1 English-Dakota 1 English-Portuguese 1 English-Taniana 1 English-Malay 1 English-Mohawk 1 English-Igbo 1 English-Spanish-Portuguese 1 Total 4 9 8 16
Table 7. Responses to Question 29: Please Comment on the Questionnaire (multiple answers were scored)
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
No answer 1 4 1 2 8
Positive comments
Approval 1 1 5 7
Other positive reaction 1 1
Neutral comments
Call for discussion
and/or interviews 2 2 4
Negative comments
Questions cited as too:
long 1 1 2 1 5
broad 2 2
hard 2 1 3
complicated or
involved 1 1
Other negative comments 5 5 10
Other
Other miscellaneous
comment (neither
positive nor
negative) 2 2 1 1 6
Total 6 13 10 18 47
Table 8. Responses to Question 28: Further study: Would you agree to participate in a follow-up interview in order to facilitate the work of the committee? Yes, No
American Asian Spanish- Black Total Indian Speaking No Answer 1 Yes 4 9 7 13 33 Qualified yes 2 2 No 1 1 Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 9. Responses to Question 20: How do you feel about anthropology?
American Asian Spanish- Black Total Indian Speaking No answer 3 3 1 7 Positive statement 2 3 6 11 Qualified positive statement 2 2 1 2 7 Neutral statement 1 1 Qualified negative statement 2 2 4 Negative statement 2 1 4 7 Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 10. Responses to Question 20: Reasons for positive feelings (Multiple answers were scored)
American Asian Spanish- Black Total Indian Speaking Does not apply 2 1 4 7 No answer 1 5 4 5 15 Discipline is personally satisfying rewarding, exciting or interesting 1 1 3 5 Best of the social sciences 1 2 3 Increases understanding of self and/or others 1 1 2 Cross-cultural perspective 1 1 2 Other 1 1 2 4 8 Total 5 9 10 18 41
Table 11. Responses to Question 20: Reasons for negative feelings (Multiple answers were scored)
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Does not apply 2 3 6 11
No answer 3 3 4 10
Discipline is
ethnocentric 2 1 2 5
Discipline and/or
its practitioners
are racists or
intolerant 1 1 4 6
Exploits "natives" 2 1 1 4
Needs to develop
Third World
anthropologists
or be of use to
the Third World 2 1 3
Needs to explain
to the layman better 1 1 2
Not applied enough 2 1 3
Amoral 2 2
Other 1 1 2 4
Total 6 15 9 20 50
Table 12. Responses to Question 27: Knowing what you know now, if you were starting a career would you become an anthropologist? Why or why not?
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
No answer 1 1 1 3
Yes 2 7 5 11 25
Yes, but would
also consider
another field 1 1 2
Other qualified
yes 1 1
No 1 2 3 6
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 13. Response to Question 27: Reasons for becoming or remaining an anthropologist (Multiple answers were scored)
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Does not apply 1 1 2 3 7
No answer 1 3 3 5 12
Personal
satisfactions 2 1 2 1 6
Understanding
self and others 1 1 1 3
Other 1 3 6 10
Total 5 9 8 16 38
Table 14. Responses to Question 27: Reasons for not becoming or remaining an anthropologist
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Does not apply 3 8 5 11 27
No answer or
explanation 1 1 1 2
Applied focus is
too weak; hard to
be of use 1 1 2
Other 1 1 3 5
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 15. Responses to Question 16: It has been said that the intellectual contributions of minority anthropologists are not given the same consideration as those of non-minority anthropologists. For example, the writings of minority anthropologists are often not reviewed in professional journals, not quoted or cited, and seldom used as required readings. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? If you agree, can you think of examples? If you disagree, please comment.
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Agreed 2 5 2 9 18
Disagreed 1 4 3 8
Unclear 1 3 7 11
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 16. Responses to Question 16: Source of respondent's data supporting response
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Experienced
personally 1 1 1 3
Perceived general
trend 1 4 3 2 10
Seen in others'
experience, but
not in own 4 4
Personal experience
and perceived
general trend* 1 1 2
Neither experience
nor general trend 1 2 1 2 6
No data possessed
(or no answer
given) 1 1 3 7 12
Total 4 9 8 16 37
*This category is marked only when the respondent explicitly alludes
to both a perceived general trend in Anthropology and to incidents
in his own experience. For practical purposes this category can be
collapsed over the first two in this table.
Table 17. Responses to Question 18: Some minority anthropologists say that in contrast to non-minority anthropologists they have been utilized in the following ways: fieldworker and interviewer; liaison to a minority, ethnic or cultural group; "cultural broker-interpreter" for majority member anthropologists; informant. Does your experience, both as a student and professional anthropologist now, bear out this assertion? If so, please tell us about it. If you disagree, please comment.
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Agreed 3 7 6 10 26
Disagreed 1 1 1 5 8
Unclear 1 1 1 3
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 18. Responses to Question 18: Source of respondent's data supporting response
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Experienced
personally 3 4 3 9 19
Perceived general
trend 2 1 1 4
Seen in others'
experience, but
not in own 1 1 1 3
Personal experience
and perceived
general trend* 2 2
Neither experience
nor general trend 1 4 5
No data possessed
(or no answer
given) 1 2 1 4
Total 4 9 8 16 37
*This category is marked only when the respondent explicitly alludes
to both a perceived general trend in Anthropology and to incidents
in his own experience. For practical purposes this category can be
collapsed over the first two in this table.
Table 19. Responses to Question 18: Roles played by minority member anthropologists*
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Fieldworker
and interpreter 2 2 4
Liaison to
minority group 2 2
Cultural broker
and interpreter 1 2 4 7
Informant 1 1 2
All roles
mentioned 3 3 1 1 8
None of the
roles mentioned 1 1 1 5 8
No data or
answer given 1 2 1 4
General agreement
(without specific
allusion) 2 2
Total 4 9 8 16 37
*Several respondents mentioned two or more of the roles (but not all).
These respondents were entered in the "All roles mentioned" category.
Table 20. Responses to Question 19: It has also been asserted that minority anthropologists have been excluded from making theoretical formulations, interpretations of research findings, and policy decisions. Does your experience both as a student and a professional anthropologist bear out this assertion? If so, please tell us about it. If not, please comment.
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Agreed 3 6 2 6 17
Disagreed 1 2 3 6 12
Unclear 1 3 4 8
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 21. Responses to Question 19: Source of respondent's data supporting response
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Experienced
personally 2 1 5 8
Perceived general
trend 3 1 4
Seen in others'
experience, but
not in own 1 1 1 3
Personal experience
and perceived
general trend* 2 2
Neither experience
nor general trend 1 1 1 3 6
No data possessed
(or no answer
given) 3 5 6 14
Total 4 9 8 16 37
*This category is marked only when the respondent explicitly alludes
to both a perceived general trend in Anthropology and to incidents
in his own experience. For practical purposes this category can be
collapsed over the first two in this table.
Table 22. Responses to Question 14: Do you feel that your experiences have differed in anthropology either positively or negatively from those of non-minority anthropologists?
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Yes 3 8 5 7 23
No 1 1 1 3
Unclear 1 6 7
No Response 2 2 4
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 23. Responses to Question 14: The nature of the response
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Negative 2 5 4 11
Positive 1 3 4
Both positive
and negative 1 1 2 4
Unclear 1 4 3 8
No answer 1 2 3 4 10
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 24. Responses to Question 17: Do you feel that you have been discriminated career because of race, color, or creed?
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Yes 3 6 1 6 16
No 2 4 6 12
Unclear 1 1 2 4 8
No answer 1 1
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 25. Responses to Question 15: Were your experiences as a student different from those of non-minority students? If so, please tell us in what ways.
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Yes 3 5 3 10 21
No 1 4 2 1 8
Unclear 1 5 6
No answer 2 2
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 26. Responses to Question 15: The nature of the responses
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Negative 1 3 1 6 11
Both positive
and negative 1 1
Unclear 1 1 1 1 4
No answer 2 5 6 8 21
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 27. Responses to Question 24: Do you advise minority students to enter anthropology? Why or why not?
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Does not apply 1 1
Strongly advise 1 1 2
Advise 6 3 12 21
Advise with
reservations 1 1
Neutral 1 3 4
Do not advise 1 1 1 3* 6
Generally not 1 1
No answer 1 1
Total 4 9 8 16 37
*Two of these advise students to take necessarily to major in it or
pursue graduate studies in it.
Table 28. Responses to Question 24: Reasons for advising minority students to enter anthropology (Multiple answers were scored)
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Benefit anthropology 5 1 7 13
Offers more to
student (ie,
jobs, less
prejudice, etc.) 1 1 1 4 7
Deepen under-
standing of one's
own ethnic group 3 3
Provides techniques
for problem
solving 2 1 1 4
No answer 1 2 2 5
Does not apply 1 1
Other 1 1 2
Total 3 12 5 15 35
Table 29. Responses to Question 24: Reasons for not advising minority students to enter anthropology or for doing so with reservations (Multiple answers scored)
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Few opportunities 1 1
Psychic difficulties 1 1
Disillusionment
with limitations 1 1 1 3
No reason given 1 1 2 4
Advise according to
interest, disregarding
minority status 4 4
Total 2 1 7 3 13
Table 30. Responses to Question 25: Can you suggest ways in which anthropology can be made more relevant for minority students? (Multiple answers were scored)
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
No problem of
relevancy 1 2 3
Use for self-
identity 2 1 4 7
Emphasize applied
and change theory 2 2 3 7
Emphasize American
culture 2 2 4
Minority studies of
own and other groups 2 1 3
Use minority examples 3 1 4
More funding for
minorities 5 5
Combat racism 1 1 2 4
Less elitism--more
control by people
studied 2 1 1 4
More anthropology in
lower grades 1 1 1 3
Other 2 3 2 7
No answer 1 2 2 4 9
Total 9 15 13 23 60
Table 31. Responses to Question 26: Can you give an estimate of the number of students of minority background at your university or institution who are interested in anthropology? Undergraduate? Graduate?
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Undergraduates
Don't know 1 4 5
No answer 2 1 2 5
Not applicable 1 1 2 4
"Many" 2 2
Misunderstood* 1 1
None 1 1 2
1-5 2 4 2 2 10
6-10 1 2 1 4
over 10 1 2 3
Graduates
Don't know 2 2
No answer 4 4 2 10
Not applicable 1 1 3 5
Misunderstood* 1 1
"Quite a few" 1 1
None 2 3 5
1-5 3 1 6 10
6-10 1 1 1 3
over 10 1 1
*Apparently gave estimate of total number of all students in
anthropology.
Table 32. Responses to Question 21: Do you feel that anthropological studies in the past have rendered service or disservice to minority groups in American society? Please include specific examples you may know of in your answer.
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Rendered service 3 2 4
Rendered
disservice 1 3 1 10 15
Both service and
disservice 3 3 1 3 10
Don't know 2 1 3
No Answer 4 4
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 33. Responses to Question 22a: How do you assess the research which has been conducted on your minority group?
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Good 1 2 3
Bad 1 5 6
Both 2 1 1 4
Unfamiliar with
group 1 1
No significant
work 4 1 5 10
No answer 3 6 4 13
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 34. Responses to Question 22b: Do you think such work can be improved?
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Yes 2 4 4 6 16
No answer 2 5 1 10 18
No such research
exists 3 3
Total 4 9 8 16 37
Table 35. Responses to Question 23: Can you suggest ways in which anthropology can be used to serve the needs of minority groups in the United States?
American Asian Spanish- Black Total
Indian Speaking
Response given 4 7 4 15 30
No comment 1 1 2
No response 2 3 5
Total 4 9 8 16 37
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