Standards of Decency

To the Editors of The Crimson:

It is a generally accepted but unwritten rule in scholarly circles that "scientific" films and other visual materials covering such topics as experiments conducted on human subjects in Nazi Germany, are not worthy of scientific attention and go too far beyond the realm of human decency to be presented in serious academic settings. Also, classroom presentation of explicit photographic materials on violence aginst women (and children) and other such pathological activities is considered an act of gross impropriety and is verboten in academic and other institutions of reasonable moral standards.

However, these rules of decency and discretion were violated in the most callous and tasteless manner by anthropologists at the Peabody Museum on Thursday, January 24, 1980. This group openly advertised and later presented explicit film material on clitoridectomy of small African girls. The main speaker was anthropologist Tore Harkensson, a man who has been refused academic endorsement by all institutions in his native Sweden because of lack of training and his bizarre subject matter. When I was informed of the plans for this presentation by Mr. Harkensson, I strongly protested the showing of his films on the grounds that authorities consider them to be totally devoid of scholarly merit. Moreover, they are racist and violate every code of moral decency. Mr. Harkensson stated he "had been officially invited to present these films to members of the Harvard community by the Peabody Museum and biologist George Wald." I later shared my concerns about this subject with several of my colleagues but it was too late to try to stop the presentation through normal channels.

Mr. Harkensson (and his German female companion Fran Hosken) proceeded to show his grotesque films to an audience of about 25, white (mostly female) students and staff. These films contained no more than redundant sequences of sexual mutilation (clitoridectomy and scarification) of five-and six-year-old black youngsters who were shrieking and fighting during the act and being restrained by older women. Most of the audience literally ran out of the room during the first few minutes of this grotesque scene. Over the protests of Mr. Harkensson and his German companion, I disrupted his presentation and demanded that it be stopped. I take full responsibility for my actions and would repeat them even more strenuously if similar situations occur in the future. The presentation of such racist and repulsive films at Harvard University under the guise of scholarship is an abomination.

According to authorities, these practices among remote African tribes have long since been outlawed by African governments. Moreover, where such abberant patterns exist in "primitive" cultures, they were possibly introduced by men for the subjugation of women, and simply remained in the culture for centuries, unchanged. Mr. Harkensson has neither the intellectual prowess nor academic training to elaborate on the possible origins and rationale for such patterns. He even erroneously associated this barbaric practice with Islam. Also, his outdated and cruelly staged German-made films (the German filmmakers seem to have a preoccupation with this sort of thing) have long been considered unfit for presentation at most respectable institutions.

To the argument that these anthropologists have the right (or academic freedom) to show such films, I say that one would be well within his right to show films on mutilation of Nazi or South African prison inmates to a class of medical students, but such an act is considered so monstrous that it would cause outrage. Because a practice is "widespread" (as is sadistic assault in this country) does not justify a filmic academic presentation to a college classroom.

Finally, I submit to you that if these films had featured little white youngsters undergoing such mutilation (or similarly abusive acts which are known to occur in white culture) they would never have been shown on this campus or any other in the country. The callousness of the Peabody, its director, Karlovksy, and others in permitting this material to be presented at Harvard is a reflection of haughty insensitivity and a flagrant disregard for the feelings of our black students and staff. This attitude has become more and more prevalent around Harvard.

I strongly appeal to the Afro-American students of Harvard to join with me in protesting this scurrilous act against Harvard's black community. We should make a concerted effort to assure that it will never happen again. S. Allen Counter   Associate Professor of Biology