The Tedlocks, for their part, say they decline to join the mudslinging. The latter course is tempting, but risks intellectual dishonesty. The Tedlocks, for example, say they had the solid backing of the anthropology association in everything they did. It turns some of the heat down from the critics. The editorship of the journal, a symbol of the entire discipline, will surely continue to be a hot seat.
Individual anthropologists can decide to avoid it.
But no one can escape figuring out how to live and let live in individual departments. The anthropology association wants scholars to look at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's department. Both biological and cultural anthropologists can work under those rubrics. The structure underscores common ground, making everything from graduate admissions to faculty hiring less contentious. The structure also insulates students, at least temporarily, from the opposing-camp mentality, she and others point out, laying the groundwork for future peace.