Subtle Means and Enticing Carrots: The Impact of Funding on American Cold War Anthropology

Abstract

Economic and academic support for American anthropologists during the Cold War is examined in light of what is known about military and intelligence interests during this period. Some of the questions asked and regions studied by anthropologists were shaped by the limited availability of Area Center funds, public and private foundations' grants, development projects, and other funding opportunities. The CIA's covert involvement in the Human Ecology Fund, and the Cold War backdrop of the Modjokuto Project are examined to highlight America's covert-hegemonic influence on the developement of mid-century anthropology.