Events
There were many other events taking place, beside the workshops and plenaries.
Tuesday 24th August
Keynote lecture by Prof. Talal Asad
Human atrocities, human rights
In this talk I explore some of the discourses of the U.S. government after the September 11 atrocity (which I witnessed) to initiate its Global War on Terror. I discuss the notion of necessity as applied to the invasion of Afghanistan, and trace the shift in reasons given for justifying that war by the U.S. government and its supporters from self-defense (the dismantling of terror networks) to human rights (the liberation of women, the promotion of elementary education, etc). Although the concepts of war crime and crime against humanity have relatively clear meanings in humanitarian law, the word terror does not. In fact the way that that word is typically used to describe the violence of non-state actors tends to obscure the complexity of the modern states own use or threat of violence in just war as well as in enhanced interrogation. I examine the political theologies that articulate violence by the United States, and conclude by analyzing the counterinsurgency strategies that have been adopted in Afghanistan by the Obama Administration. I propose that these strategies express a form of cruelty-in-compassion that is quite common in modernity.
You can read a recently publisher paper by Talal Asad, on just war and terrorism, as his talk will have some connections to it. ( Download PDF)
Welcome reception
The welcome reception will take place from 19.00 onwards in the historic Pugin Hall in the University’s South Campus. The reception will involve welcome addresses by Professor John G. Hughes, President of National University of Ireland, Maynooth, and Mr Francis Jacobs, Head of the EU Parliament in Ireland. Tarab, the celebrated multicultural music ensemble, will entertain delegates as they catch up with colleagues and enjoy wine and small bites of food. The welcome reception is generously supported by NUI Maynooth’s Vice President for Research, Professor Ray O’Neill.
Wednesday 25th August
Social Anthropology/Anthropologie Sociale: the EASA journal debate
How do we train future anthropologists – new horizons, more of the same?
Debate between João de Pina Cabral (University of Lisbon) and Maria Couroucli (Université Paris Ouest -Nanterre La Défense)
Chair: Helena Wulff (Stockholm University), Co-editor
Book launch: Pluto Press and Ulf Hannerz
Pluto Press and Ulf Hannerz invite you to bring your tea/coffee and partake of some cake to celebrate the launch of Ulf’s new book, Anthropology’s World. Written from the perspective of someone active in the discipline over five decades, the book explores both anthropology as a social world with its own relationships, ideas and practices, and also how anthropology relates to and exists within the wider world. EASA President, Michal Buchowski will introduce the author.
SA/AS journal and Wiley-Blackwell reception
Wiley-Blackwell and the editors of Social Anthropology/Anthropologie Sociale, Dorle Dracklé and Helena Wulff, invite you to a glass of wine to celebrate the ongoing success of EASA’s journal.
Roundtable: Universities of ‘knowledge’ and ‘learning’? Implications for
anthropology?
All are welcome to attend this roundtable which will be chaired by Susan Wright (University of Århus).
Whereas universities used to be about ‘research’ and ‘education’; seemingly suddenly in the 1990s these terms were supplanted by the words ‘knowledge’ and ‘learning’. Why? What is going on? The EU, OECD and World Bank project the ‘global knowledge economy’ as an inevitable future. ‘New human capital theory’ argues that education is not a public good, but an individual responsibility to invest in learning and be employable. Universities are seen as the drivers of this new economy: they are enjoined to create knowledge that is ‘useful’ and turned quickly into commercial products, and to produce a ‘flexible’ workforce with advanced analytical and transferable skills.
The roundtable will address the following questions:
- How is the shift from ‘research’ to ‘knowledge’ and from ‘education’ to ‘learning’ affecting your
university? - How are academics and students responding, individually and collectively?
- What are the implications for anthropological research and education – negative & positive?
Speakers: Professor Susan Wright (University of Århus), Professor Dominic Boyer (Rice University) and Professor Cris Shore (University of Auckland).
Presidential reception
The EASA executive held a small reception to meet with the Presidents of other national and international anthropology associations. Invite only.
Concert
Traditional and experimental music & song in a beautiful acoustic space. The first set will feature Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (fiddle) and Mick O’Brien (uilleann pipes) who released one of the finest traditional albums of the past decade. Eithne Ní Chatháin (voice, piano, etc.) and her innovative band performed in the National Concert Hall recently. She, Seán Óg (saxophone, clarinet, etc.) and Cormac O’Brien (double bass) will play the second set of this showcase concert.
St. Mary’s Church of Ireland and Maynooth Castle frame the main gates of the university’s south campus.
Admission to the concert will be by ticket only with 200 tickets on sale for €10 euro at the reception desk
during the conference.
Music in Mantra
Downstairs: traditional music sessions from 21:00. Upstairs: listening club from 23:00 featuring the Mulcahy family, some of the concert performers and other invited musicians, singers and dancers.
Thursday 26th August
Getting published
There will be short talks by the SA/AS editor, Dorle Dracklé, and the EASA Book Series Editor, James Carrier, regarding how to get your books and papers published.
Berghahn reception
Please join Vivian and Marion at the Berghahn Books stand to celebrate the publication of the most recent volumes in the EASA series, efficiently and sensitively edited by James Carrier. We are particularly pleased to launch Culture Wars: Context, Models and Anthropologists’ Accounts, edited by Deborah James, Evelyn Plaice and Christina Toren, which touches upon some fundamental issues of concern to anthropologists and is dedicated to Adam Kuper, one of the founding members of the EASA. We also want to take this opportunity to thank all Berghahn authors for a very enjoyable collaboration and hope to meet with many of them at the conference.
Cultural Anthropology reception
Please join representatives of the Society for Cultural Anthropology for a wine and cheese reception to celebrate the ongoing success of the Society’s journal, Cultural Anthropology. Since 1986, Cultural Anthropology has published ethnographic writing informed by a wide array of theoretical perspectives, innovative in form and content, and focused on both traditional and emerging topics. It also welcomes essays concerned with theoretical issues, with ethnographic methods and research design in historical perspective, and with ways cultural analysis can address broader public audiences and interests. Back copies of the journal and information for potential authors will be available for inspection.
Céilí/dance
Welcome to a night of social dancing & traditional entertainment. Music by the Temple House Céilí Band with songs & solos from other acclaimed artists. Dances will be taught on the night.
Music in Mantra
Downstairs: nightclub. Upstairs: traditional music, singing and dancing from 23:15 featuring some of the céilí artists.
Friday 27th August
Free workshop with members of Yurodny: Crisis and imagination in music
As well as performing at the conference banquet, Yurodny are offering a free music workshop for those who want a break from papers.
The Wenner-Gren Foundation Grants workshop
The Wenner-Gren Foundation is a unique organization whose primary goal is to support the discipline of
anthropology worldwide. The Foundation has a variety of grant programs aimed at funding research and building an international community of anthropologists. This workshop introduces the Foundation’s basic programs, in particular its programs to fund original research (at the dissertation and Post-Ph.D. level) and give advice and tips on what the Foundation is looking for in a research project to help you write a more competitive proposal.
Members forum/AGM
All members of EASA are invited to attend this brief business meeting, where the Executive will present their reports and be available for questions from the members.
The Exec also proposes changes to the Constitution of EASA. These amount to:
- the bringing of the constitution up-to-date on Student membership, the application procedure, the
appointment of a Secretary - the widening of the Student membership category to include Masters students (currently it is doctoral students only)
- the limitation of the Secretary and Treasurer roles to six years
- preventing officers from returning to the committee for four years after leaving it
The full document is available here (PDF). Please take a read, as these changes will be voted on at the meeting.
Conference dinner/banquet
The conference banquet will begin at 20:00 with drinks, appetizers and music along the cloisters of the
University’s South Campus. Banquet-goers will then enter Pugin Hall for dinner and dessert and will be
entertained by the wonderful ensemble Yurodny. The banquet dinner will close with a very special toast: a distiller from Jameson irish whiskey will introduce irish whiskey with a premium tasting and we will raise a glass to close the conference.
After party – Mantra
When the banquet is over, delegates are encouraged to keep the party going at a late music night, with special guest DJ, in Mantra.
