A welcome resource and reference biographical dictionary that took five years to produce and is aimed at both graduate and undergraduate students in anthropology, history, and sociology. Each chapter is a brief autobiography that portrays the professional and personal lives--the triumphs and tribulations--of the brave, committed, first- and second-generation pioneers. The predominance of women in anthropology is impressive. They conducted research, published, bore heavy teaching loads, and reaped poor remunerations. However, it was not enough to demonstrate intellectual merit; gender determined appointment to academic positions. For example, Alfred Tozzer told Radcliffe students in 1939 that if they wanted to be anthropologists they had better have independent means because they will never get a job; the evidence from this volume vindicates Tozzer. Anthropology was a middle-class enterprise; perhaps that explains why in the 58 entries, only one subject is a Native American and four are Afro-American. The list is predominantly American and includes both widely known and less known anthropologists.
. . . The volume should become a standard reference for students of the history of anthropology. . . . I strongly recommend the volume to anyone interested in women's experience, particularly within the professions and academia.
These concise biographies of a wide and interesting sample of women anthropologists make a valuable addition to the growing field of history of anthropology. As the editors point out, the careers of these women illuminate, usually by contrast, the factors that shaped the discipline of anthropology in its first century. The editors note also that these women's careers show far more "applied" and "popular" work than characterizes the careers of most prominent men anthropologists, and this difference calls into question the values implicit in much mainstream anthropology, implicit values often at odds with professed values. Because most of the subjects were personally interviewed, their biographies contain the subjects' own opinions of what was influential in their careers, a useful comparison to what might be analyzed out of the events and patterns. Women Anthropologists is a sourcebook for women's studies, history of anthropology, and social history; it is also a fascinating read.
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"A welcome resource and reference biographical dictionary that took five years to produce and is aimed at both graduate and undergraduate students in anthropology, history, and sociology. Each chapter is a brief autobiography that portrays the professional and personal lives--the triumphs and tribulations--of the brave, committed, first- and second-generation pioneers. . . . Well organized with useful appendixes, indexes, and references." Choice "These concise biographies of a wide and interesting sample of women anthropologists make a valuable addition to the growing field of history of anthropology. As the editors point out, the careers of these women illuminate, usually by contrast, the factors that shaped the discipline of anthropology in its first century. The editors also note that these women's careers show far more `applied' and `popular' work than characterizes the careers of most prominent men anthropologists, and this difference calls into question the values implicit in much mainstream anthropology, implicit values often at odds with professed values." Alice B. Kehoe, Marquette University
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