David Price (anthropologist)
Encyclopedia
David H. Price is an American anthropologist. He studied anthropology at The Evergreen State College
, the University of Chicago
and the University of Florida
(Ph.D. 1993) and is a professor of anthropology at St. Martin's University in Lacey, Washington
.
Price has conducted cultural anthropological and archaeological field work in Egypt and elsewhere in the Near East. His primary research area is the history of anthropology along with various interactions between anthropologists and military/intelligence agencies. His 2004 book Threatening Anthropology used tens of thousands of Federal Bureau of Investigation
files released under the Freedom of Information Act
to examine how the FBI harassed anthropologists that were activists in issues of racial equality during the McCarthy era. His 2008 book Anthropological Intelligence documented American anthropologists’ contributions to the Second World War. He has written journalistic exposés on military uses of anthropology in the Human Terrain System
program, and on post-9/11 programs bringing the CIA and other intelligence agencies back on to American university campuses.
He is a frequent contributor to CounterPunch
, and is a member of the Network of Concerned Anthropologists
.
Articles
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
(Ph.D. 1993) and is a professor of anthropology at St. Martin's University in Lacey, Washington
Lacey, Washington
Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. Established as a suburb of Olympia, its population was 42,393 at the 2010 census out of a county population of 252,264.-History:...
.
Price has conducted cultural anthropological and archaeological field work in Egypt and elsewhere in the Near East. His primary research area is the history of anthropology along with various interactions between anthropologists and military/intelligence agencies. His 2004 book Threatening Anthropology used tens of thousands of Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
files released under the Freedom of Information Act
Freedom of Information Act (United States)
The Freedom of Information Act is a federal freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government. The Act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure...
to examine how the FBI harassed anthropologists that were activists in issues of racial equality during the McCarthy era. His 2008 book Anthropological Intelligence documented American anthropologists’ contributions to the Second World War. He has written journalistic exposés on military uses of anthropology in the Human Terrain System
Human Terrain System
The Human Terrain System is a United States Army program utilizing experts from social science disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, political science, regional studies and lingustics to provide military commanders and staff with an understanding of the local population...
program, and on post-9/11 programs bringing the CIA and other intelligence agencies back on to American university campuses.
He is a frequent contributor to CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
, and is a member of the Network of Concerned Anthropologists
Network of Concerned Anthropologists
The Network of Concerned Anthropologists is an independent ad hoc network of anthropologists seeking to promote an ethical anthropology.The network is concerned that the "war on terror" threatens to militarize anthropology in a way that undermines the integrity of the discipline...
.
Selected Works
Books- Weaponizing Anthropology: Social Science in Service of the Militarized State. AK/CounterPunch Books, 2011
- Anthropological Intelligence: The Deployment and Neglect of American Anthropology in the Second World War. Duke University Press, 2008
- Threatening Anthropology: McCarthyism and the FBI's Surveillance of Activist Anthropologists. Duke University Press, 2004
Articles
- "Silent Coup: How the CIA is Welcoming itself Back onto American University Campuses", CounterPunch, April 9, 2010
- "Human Terrain Systems Dissenter Resigns, Tells Inside Story of Training's Heart of Darkness", CounterPunch, February 15, 2010
- 2007 "Buying a Piece of Anthropology, Part One: Human Ecology and Unwitting Anthropological Research for the CIA." Anthropology Today 23(3):8-13.
- 2007 "Buying a Piece of Anthropology, Part Two: Our Tortured Past." Anthropology Today 23(5):17-22.
- "Pilfered scholarship devastates General Petraeus's counterinsurgency manual", CounterPunchCounterpunchCounterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
, October 30, 2007, later republished in University of Chicago Press Counter-Counterinsurgency Manual - "The CIA's University Spies", CounterPunchCounterpunchCounterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
January 1, 2005, p 1-6 - 2003 "Subtle Means and Enticing Carrots: The Impact of Funding on American Cold War Anthropology" Critique of Anthropology 23(4):373-401.