W.E.B.

Du Bois Institute

Scientific Colonialism
Author(s): Johan Galtung
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Transition, No. 30 (Apr. - May, 1967), pp. 10-15
Published by: Indiana University Press on behalf of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute
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 TRANSITION 30

THE LESSONS OF PROJECT CAMELOT*

Scientific
ColonialismJOHAN GALTUNG

ProjectCAMELOT is a studywhose objectiveis The affair was muchdiscussedbyprofessional social

to determinethefeasibility a general
ofdeveloping science(particularly the anthropologists) associations.
social systemsmodel which would make it But thatdoes notmeanthattheessentiallessonshave
possible to predict and influencepolitically necessarily beendrawnfromthematter, northatit is
aspectsof socialchangein thedevelop-
significant entirely clearwhattheselessonsmightbe.2ManyUS
ing nationsof the world. social scientistsseemto understand littleof thecom-
plexitiesof emotions and arguments in an affairof this
The projectis conceivedas a threeto four-year kind. What happenedtends to be regardedas a
effortto be foundedat aroundone and one-half technicaldifficulty that one might encounterin
milliondollarsannually. It is supported by the "foreign area research," thatcan be over-
a difficulty
Armyand the Department of Defence,and will comeif one is onlycleverenough,thepriceone has
be conductedwith the co-operationof other to pay fora $6 millioncontract, thebiggestsumever
agenciesof the government. made availablefora social scienceproject. Or as an
expression ofbad administrationbySORO, ofrivalries
The U.S. Armyhas an important missionin the between moreor less traditionally military factionsin
positiveand constructiveaspectsof nationbuild- the Pentagon, of rivalriesbetweentheDepartment of
to assistfriendly Defenseand the Department
ing as well as a responsibility of State,of thedubious
governments in dealing with active insurgency and unauthorised behaviourby one particular person
problems. associatedwiththe project,of the "hostility of one
The quotationsabove are taken froman official invitedsocial scientist,"etc. In other words, the
document(datedDecember4 1964) fromthe Special tendency has been,as so oftenin conflicts,to disregard
OperationsResearch Office(SORO) of the American the fundamental and look for some accidental
Washington,
University, D.C. to introduceProject characteristicsof the situation.
CAMELOT.1

Brieflystated,whathappenedwas thefollowing.
projectwas well preparedin theUS by a committee
The PoliticalNature
and the finalresearchdesignwas
of social scientists What,then,was essentialin thisproject? Certainly
to takeplace in thesummer of 1965. However,when its politicalnature,on whichI will commentfirst.
the information quotedabove was made availableto But the questionis: preciselywhatmakesa project
LatinAmerican theyrefused
socialscientists indignant- of thiskindmorepoliticalthanacademic?
ly to co-operate.The matterwas broughtfirstto Obviously,as most authorsseem to agree,the
national attentionin Chile, then to international criterionis not that the project is sponsored by the
attention.The resultwas thaton July8 the project government, nor that it is sponsored by the military
was cancelledby the officeof the DefenseSecretary, establishment.This wouldbe "guiltby association."
and on August5 an orderby the US President was biased
It wouldalso serveto acquithighlypolitically
issued that "no government sponsorship of foreign researchsponsoredby privateorganisations.
area research shouldbe undertaken which,in thejudg-
mentoftheSecretary ofStatewouldadversely the
affect the circumstances
Nor can one use as a criterion
UnitedStatesforeign relations." that the project has political implicationsthat favour
one pointof viewratherthantheother;that,in other
* I am indebtedto RobertAngell,KennethBoulding,Alex words,policycan be derivedfromit. For thiswould
Inkeles,W. J. Goode and to Simon Schartzmanand many throwout mostgood social researchto the extentit
otherformerstudentsat FLACSO for helpfulcommentsand
for this article rests entirely
criticism,but the responsibility permits and/ormanipulation
prediction of "politically
withthe author. aspects,"to quote the CAMELOTdocument.
significant
t0

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 .f.
4

01

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 TRANSITION 30
Should one accept thenas a criterionthatthe results
of the researchare classified?Not necessarily. Thus,
the publicationof the resultsmighthurtsome persons
or groups,it may be impossibleto preserveanonymity,
theresultsmay cause unwantedconflict, theymaymake
furtherresearch impossible, classificationmakes the
report(and the agencybehindit) look more significant,
etc.
1. The major sourceson ProjectCAMELOT are IrvingLouis
Horowitz,"The Life and Death of Project Camelot",
Transaction, Nov./Dec. 1965,pp. 3-7, 44-47.
"Feedbook from our readers," Transition Mar./Apr. 1966,
pp. 2, 55-6.
Alfred D Grazia, "Editorial on Project Camelot," The
American Behavioral Scientist, September1965, p. 40.
"Letters,"The American Behavioral Scientist, October 1965,
p. NS-12, November1965,p. 32.
Jessie Bernard,"To the Editor," The American Sociologist,
1965, also see the American Sociologist, 1965, no. 2 and 1966,
no. 4 and American Psychologist, May 1966.
John Walsh, "Social Sciences: Cancellation of Project
CAMELOT After Row in Chile Brings Research Under
Scrutiny,"Science, September10, 1965.
also see Behavioral Science, September1965.
Kalman H. Silvert,"AmericanAcademic Ethics and Social
Research Abroad: The Lesson of Project Camelot,"
Background, 1965, pp. 215-36
Myronand Penina Glazer, "Social Science Researchand the
Real World: los Chilenos y los gringos,"mimeo, 1966.
By far the mostextensiveanalysis,withample documentation
of material from Project CAMELOT, conclusions of the
Special Investigation
Committeeof the Chilean House of Re-
presentativesas well as the debate is foundin:
Sesion 33, en jueves 16 de diciembre de 1965,
Republica de Chile, Camera de Diputados, LegislaturaEx-
traordinaria384 pp. These Records also have extensive
quotations from newspapers.
An importantarticle fromChile is
Jose Pablo Lopez, "La Tenue Red del ProyectoCamelot,'
Ercilla, July7, 1965, pp. 20-1, 31.
DeGrazia's editorial contains a sentence: "A Norwegian
pacifistnamed JohanGaltungegged on a Chilean communist
paper to agitateSouth Americananti-yanquijingoismamong
a few professorsetc.", whichis a ratherincorrectdescription
of what happened.Althoughit is -truethat I am a pacifist
this is irrelevant:I see nothingwrongin generalin Defense
Departmentsponsoredresearchand fullyappreciatethe role
of the armed services in sponsoringimportantbehavioral
science research. Being Norwegianis more to the point:
Project CAMELOT looks different from the point of view
of a small nation than fromthe point of view of the top
nation in one of the power blocs. What is completelyun-
true is that I "egged on a Chilean communistpaper."
What happenedwas that I (workingin Chile as a UNESCO
professor)had been invitedby the late project directorto
participatein the project,rejectedthe generousofferbecause
I had misgivings about it, receivedno satisfactory
explanation
fromthe projectdirectorsabout the issues I raised (the same
as the issues discussedin the presentarticle)and only then
made the information I had about the project available to
Latin Americancolleagues. I can assureDeGrazia thatmore
than "a few professors"were appalled by the project and
refusedindignantlyto participatein it, in fact there have
probablybeen few issues thathave unitedempiricists, pheno-
menologistsand marxistsalike as effectively.That all this
later (in fact almost two months later) reached a local
communistpaper (El Siglo) will surprisenobody,nor that it
was exaggeratedinto accusationsof deliberateespionage or
almostmilitaryintervention.Blatantlyuntrueis also the as-
sertionthat the projectwas "supportedby some of the best
foreignscholarsin Latin America."
2. This point is made by virtuallyall who wrote on the
in Silvert(op. cit., p. 218) and Horowitz
subject,particularly
(op. cit.,p. 44).
12
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1 simplythe
wouldpreferto take as my criterion
design of the projectitself. Whatkindof perspective
on thepoliticalsystem studiedis implicitin thedesign?
Is this perspective one that expressesone political
view ratherthananotherso thatit is alreadybuilt
intothedesignthatfindings can be used in favourof
one politicalcourse of actionratherthan another?
If, in addition,the sponsorship is politicaland even
military,and the projectis launchedin a secretive
manner,then the politicalnatureof a projectis
unmistakeable.
In definingtheproblemsof theworldin termsex-
tremely close to exactlywhatpeople of the left,all
overtheworld,feelto be theUS perception of world
problems,3 CAMELOT was political. That the project
also had considerable
potential valueand that
scientific
designeddoes not detract
partsof it werebrilliantly
fromthis.
The socialsciencesarenowrapidlydeveloping in the
SovietUnionand EasternEurope. ImaginetheSoviet
DefenseMinistry launchinga sociological/anthropolo-
gical projectto inquireinto the natureof unrestin.
Hungary, Polandand East Germany, sayin early1953
or early1956.
FrommostLatin Americanpointsof view,outside
some very special circles,participationin Project
CAMELOT was a clearlypoliticalaction,raisingall
theproblemsof theroleof social scientists
relativeto
theirgovernments. As the chairmanof the special
investigation
by theChileanHouse of Representatives
intoProjectCAMELOT, AndresAylwin,said:
"In thisprojectone pretends to makean analysis
of theproblems of man,of hunger, of unemploy-
ment,etc. Hhowever, thesevitalproblems are not
studiedbecauseof the significance theyhave in
themselves butonlyinsofaras theycan be causes
of rebellionor revolution.Said in otherwords
in ProjectCAMELOT one does not analyze un-
employment to findits causes and 'studyits so-
lutions,it is not a questionof studying human
needsto tryto satisfy them.Social problemsare
onlyimportant insofaras theycan leadtotensions.
In short,thisprojecthas not been conceivedto
tryto solve the problemsof hungerin Latin
America,onlyto avoid revolution."
The manyUS socialscientists of worldrenownwho
participatedin thisprojectmightprotestat thisdes-
criptionof it. They would pointto otheraspects:
the emphasison nonmilitary ratherthanmilitary ap-
proachesto theseproblems,thepossibility
ofsupporting
the "softs"ratherthanthe "toughs"in the Pentagon
by givingthema social sciencesoftware thatcould
fortheirtraditional
serveas a substitute hard-
military
ware,etc.
I have no reasonto doubtthe sincerity of these
experts.Theremightbe somereasonto doubttheir
and bureaucrats
senseof realism,sincepoliticians are
usually much more able to manipulateacademic
peoplethanvice versa(it is partof theirprofession:
academicsaremoreconcerned withshowinghowclever
theyare thanin sellingtheirknowledge forpolitical
concessions
thatthebureaucrats mayneitherbe able,
 TRANSITION 30

nor willing,to give).But the majorobjectionis that knowledgeabout the "colony". At presentthis is
even'software manipulation"by forcesexternalto the expressed in termsof thehighnumberof PhD theses,
targetnationsis a kind of interventionand as such journals and institutesspecializingin 'area studies
objectionable. The present author heard many (LatinAmerican Africanstudies,studiesof the
studies,
commentsin Latin Americato the effectthat "we "capitalist most
world"),etc.foundin thescientifically
prefermilitary to this sneakingkind of
intervention developednationsof the world(amongotherreasons
manipulation,forwe at leastknowwhatit is." because this mirrorsthe structure of theirforeign
powerful
ministries). Scholars from the scientifically
If ProjectCAMELOT had been launchedas intend- nationsoftenknowmoreabout othernationsthanthese
ed it wouldhave led to the end of Latin American nationsknowabout themselves.True, theirknowledge
social sciencefor, say, ten or twentyyears. The may be of a stereotyped and oldfashioned kind,and
suspicionsthe radicalleftalwayshas entertained in aboveall aboutaspectsof the"colony"thatthepeople
Latin Americaas to the truenatureof non-Marxist thereare lessinterestedin - forinstance becausethey
sociologywould have been confirmed:a designto belongto the past or to the atypical(as whenmost
perpetuatethe capitalistsysteminternally and the modernstudiesof the Lapps in Norwayare carried
imperialistsystemexternally.Even withthedevelop- out by foreigners).But in recenttimesthe studies
mentthat actuallytook place the projectseriously tendto be extremely adequateand relevant, and often
affected and to some extentalso political
intellectual quotedby nationalsof thesenationsas thebestones
confidencebetweenNorthand SouthAmerica.4 available.
But is thisnot to be commended, is it not a great
Colonialism
Scientific favourto thesenationsthatotherscontribute to their
self-image?In one senseit is, and in anothernot.
Anotherand equally serious aspect of Project Knowledgeis knownas a good thing,but in human
CAMELOT is colonialism."This, indeed,
its "scientific affairsit is not immaterial how thatknowledge was
is an emotionallyloadedterm. But it is betterthana acquired.
neutralone like "asymmetric of research."
patterns
A painting used to hangin theante-room of former
By "colonialism,"in general,I mean a process President Kwame Nkrumah. The painting was
whereby thecentreof gravityof a nationis no longer enormous, and themainfigure was Nkrumah himself,
in thatnationitself,but in some othernation,the fighting,wrestlingwiththe last chainsof colonialism.
colonizer.Best knownis political colonialism,where The chainsare yielding, thereis thunder and lightning
the centreof gravityfor crucialdecision-making is in theair,theearthis shaking.Out of all this,three
notin thecolony. Thenthere
locatedin thecolonizer, smallfiguresare fleeing, whitemen,pallid. One of
is economiccolonialism,wherebythe centreof gravity themis thecapitalist, he carriesa briefcase.Another
is locatedoutsidethe
forcrucialeconomictransactions is thepriestor missionary, he carriestheBible. The
country. third,a lesserfigure, carriesa book entitledAfrican
PoliticalSystems:he is the anthropologist, or social
Scientificcolonialism is that process wherebythe scientistin general. If the chainssymbolize political
centreofgravity fortheacquisition ofknowledge about colonialism,the fleeingmen symbolizeeconomic,
thenationis locatedoutsidethe nationitself. There colonialism
culturaland scientific respectively.
are manywaysin whichthiscan happen. One is to
claimtherightof unlimited accessto data fromother colonialism
Scientific frommixing
as suchis different
countries.Another is to exportdataaboutthecountry politicsand science. But it is also obviousthatthe
to one's ownhomecountry to have it processedthere
and turnedout as "manufactured goods," as books 3. That thisis not the only US attitudein officialcirclesis
as has been pointed
and articles. This is essentially, seen from Senator Fulbright'scommentson the project;
out by the Argentinian sociologistJorgeGraciarena, characterized by/"reactionary,backwardlookingpolicyopposed
similarto whathappenswhenraw materialsare ex- to change.Implicitin Camelot,as in the conceptof 'counter-
insurgency', is an assumptionthat revolutionary movements
portedat a low priceand reimported at a veryhigh are dangerousto the interestsof the United States,and that
costas manufactured goods. The mostimportant, most the United States mustbe preparedto assist,if not actually
mostenterpreneurial,
creative, mostrewarding andmost participatein, measuresto repressthem." Quoted fromHoro-
phases of the processtake place abroad,in
difficult witz, op. cit., p. 3. Also see his analysison p. 6.
some othernation. As an amusing account of how misplaced the officialUS
perspectiveon Latin Americamay be, see J. Mayone Stycos,
Then thereis thewell-known pattern to as
referred "A New Look in Latin American Relations," Human
the"braindrain",whereby youngscholarsare invited Organization,vol. 18, pp. 149-151.
on fellowships and then lured to stay on by the 4. As a matterof fact,that the projectwas essentiallya
attractionsof therichercountry tillmostof theirtime politicaland even militaryoperationis takenalmostforgrant-
as creativescientists
is gone,whereupon theymay,or ed by manywho commenton it. The left-wing pressin Latin
America never describedit otherwise: "espionaje yanqui."
maynot,be re-exported (oftenas research bureaucrats) To the Cuban WeeklyBohemia (September24, 1965, p. 86)
to thedeveloping nationfromwheretheyhave come, Rex Hopper has become "un ex agente de la CIA." Upon
or to an international
organization. Thisis doneunder his death, New York Times (June 23, 1966, p. 6) describes
the generalheadingof technicalassistance. Project CAMELOT as "a $4 million programin the social
sciencesaimed at discoveringthe causes of internalwar in
And then,most importantly, Latin Americaand other developingareas." And DeGrazia
thereis the biased in his editorialwritesvery openly about the politicalvalue
distribution of personallyacquired
or accumulation Project CAMELOT mighthave had.

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TRANSITION 30

two can easily be combined,withProjectCAMELOT lies seemantithetical

truth, as meansto thisend. But
as themostglaring example. Socialscienceknowledge manyof the social sciencetechniques
forlaunching a
abouta smallnationin thehandsof a big poweris project come dangerouslyclose to infringing
such a
a potentially dangerous weapon. It contributes to the code.
asymmetric patternsalreadyexistingin theworldbe- The following extractfroma letterfromthefaculty
cause it contributes to manipulation in theinterests of of theCatholicUniversity, Santiago,Chileto thePre-
big powers.5 sidentof the International SociologicalAssociation,
A majoraspectof scientific colonialism is theidea givessome explanation of such attempts to deceive:
ofunlimited rightof accessto data of anykind,justas "In fact,Dr. Hugo Nuttini, professor in theDe-
thecolonialpowerfeltit had therightto lay its hand partment of Anthropology at the University of
on any productof commercial value in the territory. Pittsburgh, whocameto Chileto establish contact
How wouldthe US reactto a commission of Soviet withChileansociologists to maketheminterested
socialscientists theassassination
to investigate of Pre- in participating in Project CAMELOT, affirmed
sidentKennedy? Or to investigate the rootsof the both in writing and orallythatthe projectwas
Cuba invasion? Or the interests behindthe Santo financed by theNationalScienceFoundation when
Domingointervention? in realityit was financedby the Armyof the
UnitedStatesand theDepartment of Defenseof
In a sensethisis a questionofsimplehumandecency. thatcountry.Moreover, in thecopyoftheProject
But it is also one of fundamental humanrights, and at Designthathe gave to Chileansociologists all re-
the international level,a questionof nationaldignity ferences to theArmyhadbeenmeticulously erased.
and nationalautonomy.It mustbe understood that Finally,efforts weremadeto makeus believethat
socialscienceis todaya potential politicaltoolofgreat it pursuedpurelyscientific interests
whenin reality
significance. The entryof social scientists in another it was intendedto serveas a basis forthecoun-
country is a potentialpoliticalaction. terinsurgency policiesof the UnitedStates."
The tensionsthatmay arise fromthe problemof
Some Remedies mixingpoliticsand sciencemay be eased if some
and muchmoreimportant principles can be applied,and thefirstof theseis that
Much morechallenging of frankness wherepurposeand sponsorship are con-
thanthe analysisof whathappenedis the effort to
cerned. No bona fide social scientistshould ever
findworkablesolutionsto theproblemsraisedby the withhold boththepurposeand sponsorship of his pro-
CAMELOT affair. Essentially,there are only these
ject. Secondly,social scienceprojectsshouldbe un-
two problems: the problemof combinationof scienti- classified, withtheobviouslimitations due to rulesof
fic and political goals, and the problem of scientific anonymity, general considerateness, etc. But, as
colonialism.Whether governmentsshouldeversponsor mentioned above,muchtoo muchemphasishas been
researchis not a problem- theymaintain
scientific put on this condition, probablybecause it is easily
in mostcountries
stateuniversities and it is difficult understood and relativelyunproblematic, bothto im-
to arguethatthereis anything wrongin
intrinsically plement and to circumvent. thetoolsofsocial
researchwithout
denouncing the Thirdly,
government-sponsored scienceare more equallydistributed.This political
greaterportionof reseah thathas everbeen carried weaponmustnot becomethemonopolyof one group
out. Whether military agenciesshouldever sponsor or onenation.Thisis notonlya questionoffreeaccess
researchis notan issueeither:theydo so formilitary to theory andmethods andeffective technical
purposeswhichone maylike or dislike,or theymay assistance,
do so fornon-military purposeswhichshouldthenbe butalso one ofdevising socialsciencemethods thatare
merits.
evaluatedon scientific so goodand so cheapthattheycan be usedbyanybody
witha sufficient levelof training.At present thecosts
Nor is the issue one of dishonesty: most people of large scale projectsof the CAMELOT type are
todaywill probablysubscribeto (if not live up to) prohibitive forall butthebiggernationsof theworld.
lies are onlypermitted
an ethicalcode whereby under Realistically,all these technicalassistanceefforts
conditions forcemajeure,in matters
of extreme of life shouldbe seennot onlyas measuresto diffuse social
and death,and wouldnot includethe operationof a science,but also as measuresof self-defense for the
researchprojectunderthisheading. Moreover,since nationsin theperiphery of theworld.
scientists
presumablyare engagedin the pursuitof Fourthly, muchresearch ofa politicallytouchy nature
shouldnot be handledby the partiesto the conflict,
5. One is reminded madein theEditorial,
of thecomments but by thirdpartiesor by international institutes.
an importantaspect
Human Organization,vol. 17, criticizing
of the Burdick,Lederer book, The Ugly American. Es- Finally,one shouldabove all be willingto see and 'o
whatColonelHillendaledoes is to "knowthelocal
sentially admitthepoliticalaspectof suchresearchand notbe
language /andthen/trickpeopleintodoingwhat
and culture, lured and distractedby too much talk about the
you wantthemto do." "A programaimedat outwitting freedomto do research.We all believein the value
andoutmanoeuveringoursupposed friendsmaywintemporary
but we are fearfulof its long-rinconsequences.
successes, of science,but not at all costs; to do so would be
Sooneror later- and probably pretty soon - peoplefind to putknowledge higherthan,say,freedom, autonomy,
out that theyare beingfooledand theylose all confid- dignity, lifeand death.
encein thosewhoare doingthefooling.We hopetherefore
thatthosewhoserveus overseas/will notuse this/modelfor The keyto theproblemof scientific colonialism, is
American."However,
theeffective thereis a fallacyin this asymmetry.The epitomizedasymmetric projectis
argument too. The editordoes not say that such action
may be wrongin itself,onllythat it is wrongif its long-run carriedout by the social anthiropoligist: when the
consequencesare wrong,whichmeans adverseto the US. designis his own, he himselfcarriesoultthe data-
kA

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 TRANSITION 30

although
collection he mayhirenativesto do someof ed to include,forinstance,a studyof the conditions
the prospecting fordata forhim and to function as of militaryintervention by the US, a studyof the
interviewers,intervieweesor informants. The data are ramifications of the famous "military-industrial"
thencarriedhomeand theprocessing, theanalysis,the complexalludedto by Eisenhower, a studyof general
theory-formation and the finalwrite-upare all his. attitudes to developing countries,a studyof thepoten-
He leaveshis country withthedesign,collectshis data tialsforviolentand nonviolent changein US society,
abroad and comeswithhis suitcasefilledwithdata etc.,all to be carriedoutbymixedUS-LatinAmerican
to be processedat home. More oftenthan
extracted, teams. With appropriatesponsorship,CAMELOT
not he does not even informhis subjectsas to his mighthave becomean extremely usefulprojectfor
findingspriorto thepublication, or afterwards. otherpurposesas well:
To thisit will be objectedthathe does not have - it wouldgivescholars fromthedeveloping countries
muchof a choice: he is studying primitive peoples a chanceto gain moreinsightintothenatureof the
who have been discovered by social sciencebut who socialand politicalsystems theyare emulating;
have not themselves discovered social scienceso that - it wouldenrich socialsciencein thedeveloping na-
theycannotpossiblyparticipate on an equal level,let tionsby forcing themto use othermethodologies and
alone carryout theirown projectsin the country of theories- just as scholarsfromdevelopedcountries
thesocial anthropologist. But thisobjectionbecomes haveto changetheirtoolsconsiderably whenstudying
invalidas thesocialsciencesaredeveloping
increasingly social and politicalsystems in verydifferent nations;
would - it wouldgivethema chanceto getout of a certain
aroundtheworld. To this,in turn,theobjection
be that few,if any, of the social scienceresearch self-centred frameofreference intoa moreglobalvision
milieusaroundtheworldcan fosterthe sophistication of Mankindand to get rid of the feelingthatthey
of US social scienceso thattheywouldnotbe equals alone are interesting and worthstudying(a feeling
as collaborators.And to thisagain it may be said playedup to by scholarsfromthe centrewishingto
thatthis typeof argument could serve- and has launchtheirown projects);
served- as an argument to denynationsforinstance - it wouldcontribute toinsightsaboutthemostpower-
theirindependence.One is dealingherewitha very ful nationsof the world,sincetheywouldno doubt
basic and - it seems - inalienableright: the right be studiedfromotheranglesby scholarsfromdevelop-
to participateactivelyand consciously, whenknowledge ing countries (as examples,thinkof whatde Tocque-
about oneselfis to be acquired;or at least to have ville'sandMyrdal'sstudieshavemeantto theself-image
beenoffered suchparticipation. held by Americans);- it would contribute to less
The recipesforsymmetric organization of a research ideologicaland moreempirically guideddebateabout
bysocialscientists in A to studycondi- theroleof centrenationsin theperiphery nations;
projectinitiated - it would contribute to bettersocial scienceby
tions in B, are (in additionto askingappropriate makingit more universaland by exploitingmore
authoritiesand individuals forthepermission to carry
out suchprojects)thatscholarsfromB shouldparti- systematically the difference in researchperspectives,
cipate: in the designof the project,the drawingup and
- it wouldcontribute to moreequalityin theinter-
of instruments, etc.,preferablyfromtheverybeginning
so thattheprojectdoes not have a prehistory thatis nationalsystem byinstitutionalizing equalityin nations'
usedto arguecoursesof action("we are used to doing accessto knowledge abouteachother,and,consequent-
it thisway;we originally thought ofdoingit thatway," ly, to a "balance of knowledge"as opposed to a
etc.): in the data-collectionat all levels,not onlyas 'knowledgehegemony."
interviewers,etc.: in thedata-processing at all levels, The potentialgainswould be many. Foundations
not only as coders,etc.,withequal access to data- wouldmake an important contribution if theywould
analysis- whichoftenmeansequal access to IBM- assistscholarsfromthe periphery who are able and
cards: in theoryformation:and perhapsas a co- wantto studynationsin thecentre.Not onlyshould
author. Obviouslytheseconditions will have to be theybe concernedwithsponsoring researchdone by
tempered by local circumstances, suchas thedegreeof thecentreon itself,by theperiphery on itselfand,of
development of social sciencesin nationB. Also, the course,by the centreon the periphery.Thereis a
ruleswouldgenerally onlyapplyto thebiggerprojects; feeling ofurgency in connection withnationalproblems,
it wouldbe ludicrous to startthiscomplicated machin- a feelingthatscarceresourcesforresearchshouldbe
eryjust forthesake of someminorprocessor data- allocatedto studiesthatcould fostersocioeconomic
collection. development. But thereis also an elementof ego-
WhenscholarsfromA have carriedout a number centricprovincialism in this.
of projectsaccording to thisrecipein B, however, the Thus,whatwe havecalledscientific colonialismhas
resultmaybe symmetry in projectorganization but a twoaspects(theorganization of thesingleproject,and
fundamental asymmetry in knowledgeaccumulated. the distribution of all projects),and two relatively
Peoplein A knowso muchmoreaboutB thanpeople simplesolutions(symmetry in eithercase), at leastoa
in B aboutbothA and B, and thisknowledge is often the surface.
presented in theidiom(not onlythe language)of A, But it is also to be hopedthatthefateof Project
and is of a kindthatmayfacilitate tremendously A's CAMELOT Will serveas a warning to thosewho still
manipulation ofB - provided it is goodsocialscience. feelsuchprojectsmaybe legitimately launchedin the
Of the two possiblecorrectives, it is to be preferred nameof socialscience,and to thosewhomaybecome
thatB's research in A is to be startedratherthanA's thetargets of suchprojects, thattheyare notblindto
researchin B discontinued.In the CAMELOT case theirpoliticalovertones and are able to reacttowards
thiswouldmeana designthatwouldhavebeenexpand- themaccordingly. C]

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