Human Rights at Home and Abroad: Past, Present, and Future

Kristin Kelly, Bloomsburg University
Distortion and Exploitation: The Realities of the Human Terrain System Project
Throughout history, anthropologists have been involved in military actions that may have helped
an area of people but have overall harmed them. In regards to the American Anthropological Association
(AAA) code of ethics, if an anthropologist involves themselves with any ―military actions or war efforts‖
they will more than likely be violating the code of ethics. After analysis of the code of ethics from the
AAA, anthropologists should not be involved in any government military operations, nor should their
anthropological data be used for this purpose.
During World War II anthropologists were called on by the government to help aid in studying
Japanese Americans in the government project called War Relocation Authority. This agency was
responsible for placing Japanese Americans in relocation camps where they were confined for some time.
While anthropologist‘s intentions may have been to improve conditions, they also negatively affected the
Japanese Americans in these relocation camps. An article titled Engineering Internment: Anthropologists
and the War Relocation Authority by Orin Starn, states anthropologists were involved with ―Restrictions
of discourse about removal, legitimation relocation, and promotion of racial stereotypes about the
Japanese‖ (700). Anthropologists were hired to study Japanese Americans at the camps and did not
receive informed consent from these supposed informants. This is a violation of informed consent which
states that ―Participation must be voluntary. People must be told of the potential costs and benefits.‖
Anthropologists involved in these camps were determining who should stay longer and remain under
observation, and caused harm to these people forced to reside here.
The Japanese at these camps were American citizens therefore their dignity was harmed because
the United States government removed them from their homes and did not treat them as citizens with
rights. It should be unquestionable as to whether or not anthropologists should be involved in war efforts
and military actions. The evidence shows how wrong this can be. Starn wrote, ―Ethnographers attempted
to predict the reactions of various groups in the community to contemplated actions of the administration‖
88