VHP and United Way (fwd)

[R.Mayer at ukc.ac.uk]

Jonathan Silk is surely correct; it is intellectually naive
or even dishonest to engage in any study of the humanities,
such as the culture and civilisation of South Asia, without
being aware of one's own attitudes and predispositions,
just as much as one must be aware of the political aspects
of cultural phenomena in "the other", ie the object of one's
studies. The difference between a warm, vivid, study full
of meaning and rich with thought-provoking ideas, and a 
dry-as-dust sterile exercise is precisely to do with self-
awareness (knowing our own psychological and political biases)
as well as paying close attention to those of our subjects;
and ignoring all these factors in the name of "objectivity".
We have to allow a certain latitude in "political" comments
even if we don't want the list to become a soap-box forum.
Rob