Women in Anthropology: Autobiographical Narratives and Social History

by Maria G Cattell (Editor), Marjorie M Schweitzer (Editor)

Overview

Women in academia have struggled for centuries to establish levels of acceptance and credibility equal to men in the same fields, and anthropology has been no different. The women anthropologists in this book speak frankly about their challenges and successes as they navigated through their personal and professional lives. Riding the changing tides of social and disciplinary history, they struggled through various and sometimes conflicting arenas of life—marriage, raising children, caring for families, publishing, conducting research, going into the field, teaching, and mentoring. They did this during volatile periods in the twentieth century when the roles and expectations for women were being constantly reestablished and repositioned. For anyone interested in the cultural and demographic shifts that are fundamentally altering opportunities for women in the workplace, Women in Anthropology is a thought provoking and inspirational read. For anthropologists, it is an important and intimate portrait of the realities of professional life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598740837
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/15/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Edited by Cattell, Maria G; Schweitzer, Marjorie M

Editorial Reviews

"I encourage a reading of these fascinating self-revelations. It helps tremendously that a number of the authors are darn good writers. Maria Cattell's thoughtful analysis and insightful pattern-findings in her introductory chapter are most helpful in establishing a clear overview of the book's larger and overarching themes. To paraphrase one of her graduate school mentors, Maria writes just about as well as anyone I have ever known. I was blown away by Judy Rosenthal's luminous prose. Her current autobiographical voice has clear roots in her early inspiration to express herself poetically. I suspect you will find yourself unable to put down Elizabeth Hoobler's painfully honest account of her intellectual struggle with her attempts to rectify belief with academic science. And Jean Harris's moving description of what it was like to be African-American and female in academia is not to be missed as well. Women of all ages should be inspired by the success stories of these plucky, not to be denied, anthropology Ph.D.s. They not only had to have, but got it—so can you." —Joan Weibel-Orlando


"The authors present 17 women's accounts of second careers as anthropologists, as women's life histories and also as a social history of American anthropology. ..The book gives a realistic picture of intelligent American women struggling to make meaningful, gratifying lives. Recommended." —CHOICE


"Collectively, these 17 narratives illustrate how anthropology itself is a cultural construction, shaped historically and in the present by larger configurations of gender, race and class that embrace some minds and bodies while leaving others to forge their own paths. Born between 1913 and 1947, many of the scholars represented here took the fast track from high school to college to the status of well-educated young wives and mothers. Time passed productively, yet, as one author explains, “When Betty Freidan wrote about the ‘trapped housewife,’ I recognized myself.” Guided less by institutional mentors than by the idea of anthropology as an intellectual pursuit and practice, they enrolled in doctoral programs where some professors wondered aloud about the length and productivity of a mature student’s career. Turning ageism on its head, these researchers describe the strength and flexibility of working as older women in the field. They also bring unique, diachronic insights to the development of anthropological theory, which some studied first as undergraduates in the 1940s and 1950s." - Maria D. Vesperi, New College of Florida


"One is filled with admiration for the determination and hard work that enabled these women to become professional anthropologists in the face of overwhelming odds. And one cannot help but be drawn into a review of his or her own pilgrimage to the doctorate. Schweitzer provides an evocative context for these memories in her chapter, recounting those aspects of U.S. history that shaped the lives and the education of women in recent decades....The reader cannot help but be engaged and informed by this newest collection of essays dealing with women's careers in anthropology. These remarkable anthropologists and their achievements place older, but not yet aged, women within the cross-cultural context of the nonindustrial world, where the middle-aged woman is typically 'in her prime'." —American Anthropologist


“Reading this collection of narrative autobiographies has affected me in several ways. First, many of the stories depict the lives of strong, courageous women pursuing dreams that are not entirely understood by those around them. The emotional struggle is not hidden from readers, creating an intensely personal connection with the authors…Second, understanding the motivation and goals of these older females in anthropology has given me a better understanding of the history and current trajectory of the field as a whole…Although Women in Anthropology might be particularly relevant in anthropology classes or in teaching contexts where there were many older students, it contains case material clearly relevant to family, work, and gender-themed courses in women’s studies, sociology, history, or American studies.” —Amber L Johnson, Feminist Teacher

From the Publisher