Slashdot Mirror
The Sexual Misconduct Case That Has Rocked Anthropology (sciencemag.org)
sciencehabit writes: An investigative report in Science describes allegations of sexual misconduct against noted paleoanthropologist Brian Richmond, as well as the field's response. The story highlights a major shift in how academic communities deal with sexual misconduct, going beyond delineating rules on paper to striving to change the culture of the field at the institutional level. This shift – "a long time coming," according to many researchers – was spurred in part by recent high-profile cases in astronomy and biology. Now, as Balter notes, "paleoanthropology is responding to its own complex case." The first public allegation against Richmond, the curator of human origins at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, inspired a cascade of other allegations about him. This in turn motivated several senior paleoanthropologists, including one of Richmond's key mentors, Bernard Wood, to explore the allegations with peers. "As I talked to more and more current and former students at [George Washington University]," Wood said, "I became more concerned and alarmed about what I heard." In light of their findings, Wood and others in the field of anthropology are now tackling sexual misconduct head-on. The article details additional institutional efforts to stop sexual misconduct in science while trying to balance the rights of victims and accused, and provides the latest update on investigations into Richmond.
Why does the area of academic research matter? Including it in the headline implies there's some causation when there is very likely none at all. Should be more like "academic research/educator sexual misconduct etc etc". Giving his profession, gender, nationality, all possibly (if remotely) relevant; if he was an electrician would we care if he was freelance or worked for a national company? If he was a doctor would it matter if he was a neurosurgeon or an obstetrician?. If there is some causation, maybe explain a little? If not, irrelevant at best, inflammatory at worst.
The power dynamic is inescapable though. If you're stuck with that professor, or have to put up with the boss if you want to get a paycheck, then that's totally different than the power between rich and poor and the like. If a billionare started rubbing himself against women in a poor neighborhood he'd be punched and arrested. But if it's your boss and you're struggling to make ends meet, or your professor who is deeply involved in your research thesis, it's much harder to retaliate or get away. The downside is that no one will believe you without evidence, you can lose your job or career or even marriage, you'll be laughed at and told to grow a thicker skin, you may start getting nasty tweets from the anti-women crowd for daring to make a fuss, and so forth. This is nasty stuff and not to be taken lightly or brushed off as "men will be boys" or just another power dynamic.
Don't forget this happens to both sexes. I had three fellow students have this happen and they didn't come forward as no one would believe them. Campus security laughed at one for raising the issue.