Former Task Force on AAA Engagement on Israel-Palestine

The Task Force on AAA Engagement on Israel-Palestine was charged with helping the Executive Board consider the nature and extent to which AAA might contribute – as an Association – to addressing the issues that the Israel/Palestine political situation raises for us as anthropologists, as an Association, and as an association of anthropologists. The Executive Board specifically asked the Task Force to: (1) enumerate the issues embedded in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine that directly concern the Association; (2) develop principles to be used to assess whether the AAA has an interest in taking a stand on these issues; (3) provide such an assessment; and (4) on the basis of that assessment, make recommendations to the Executive Board about actions the AAA could undertake.

Read the full report.

Committee Charge

Objectives

As part of a more encompassing AAA effort to respond to members' interest in dialogue about the ongoing Israel/Palestine conflict, the Task Force is charged with helping the Executive Board consider the nature and extent to which AAA might contribute – as an Association -- to addressing the issues that the Israel/Palestine conflict raises. The Task Force will: 1) enumerate the issues embedded in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine that directly concern the Association. These issues may include, but are not limited to, the uses of anthropological research to support or challenge claims of territory and historicity; restrictions placed by government policy or practice on anthropologists’ academic freedom; or commissioning anthropological research whose methods and/or aims may be inconsistent with the AAA statement of professional responsibilities; 2) develop principles to be used to assess whether the AAA has an interest in taking a stand on these issues; 3) provide such an assessment; 4) on the basis of that assessment, make recommendations to the Executive Board about actions the AAA could undertake.

Duration of Committee

Ended October 2015

Committee Reports to

Each member is a distinguished scholar with expertise in one or more of the discipline’s major subfields (linguistic anthropology, archaeology, sociocultural anthropology and biological anthropology). As a result, together the Task Force members bring a wide range of forms of enquiry and analysis to this endeavour. They also have expertise in conflict and historical memory, issues of identity, and the use of anthropology/archeology in political efforts. Finally, almost all of the Task Force members have a record of significant service to the Association, and thus a strong sense of its mission and governance. We kept the group small in order to ensure its agility and its ability to do its work with all deliberate speed; that is, to have sufficient time to assure that all relevant perspectives are duly considered, but not dragging out its activities unnecessarily. For more information on Task Force Membership Selection, please see Further Information on Task Force Member Selection.

Responsibilities

Enumerate the issues embedded in the conflict between Israel and Palestine that directly affect the Association.
Develop principles to be used to assess whether the AAA has an interest in taking a stand on these issues. This may include providing a comprehensive and neutral overview of arguments for and against a range of specific possible stands (including no action).
Apply these principles in completing an assessment of the nature and extent of AAA’s interest in taking a specific stand on these issues.
Assess whether the AAA has an interest in taking a specific stand on any broader but relevant issues that are raised in the context.
Recommend a course of action (this may include no action) for the Association.

Membership and Appointment

Convenor: Ed Liebow (AAA)
Executive Board liaison: Ramona Pérez (San Diego State U)
Niko Besnier (University of Amsterdam)
John Jackson (University of Pennsylvania)
Kate Spielmann (Arizona State University)
Patrick Clarkin (University of Massachusetts-Boston)
Hugh Gusterson (George Washington University)

Product

The Task Force provided AAA with a written report of its findings.

Read the full report.

Meetings and Schedule

The committee will regularly meet regularly by phone and email in the months leading up to the Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. The Task Force will meet face-to-face at the Annual Meeting.