Description
Book SynopsisThis pathbreaking collection of intellectual biographies is the first to probe the careers of thirteen early African American anthropologists, detailing both their achievements and their struggle with the latent and sometimes blatant racism of the times. Invaluable to historians of anthropology, this collection will also be useful to readers interested in Black studies and biography. Includes entries on: Caroline Bond Day, Zora Neale Hurston, Louis Eugene King, Laurence Foster, W. Montague, Cobb, Katherine Dunham, Ellen Irene Diggs, Allison Davis, St. Clair Drake, Arthur Huff Fauset, William S. Willis Jr., Hubert Barnes Ross, Elliot Skinner.
Trade Review"An invaluable volume that documents the courage, strength, and fortitude of the first African American scholars to explore the discursive terrain of anthropology. . . . A veritable treasure trove that every anthropologist needs on the shelf. . . . Put this book on your syllabus if you want to address the major theoretical developments
and the legacy of racism and sexism and contributions to anthropology made by women and people of color." --Lee D. Baker,
American Anthropologist"We owe the editors and contributors of
African-American Pioneers in Anthropology a debt of gratitude for their contributions to racial diversity in anthropology, as well as to the anthropological study of race and racism. The scholarship displayed in the volume compels anthropologists to rethink their discipline's history and its current concerns."--
Transforming AnthropologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction: Anthropology, African Americans, and the Emancipation of a Subjugated Knowledge Faye V. Harrison and Ira E. Harrison 1
1. Caroline Bond Day: Pioneer Black Physical Anthropologist Hubert B. Ross, Amelia Marie Adams, and Lynne Mallory Williams 37
2. Feminism and Black Culture in the Ethnography of Zora Neale Hurston Gwendolyn Mikell 51
3. Louis Eugene King, the Anthropologist Who Never Was Ira E. Harrison 70
4. Laurence Foster: Anthropologist, Scholar, and Social Advocate Yolanda Moses 85
5. W. Montague Cobb: Physical Anthropologist, Anatomist, and Activist Lesley M. Rankin-Hill and Michael L. Blakey 101
6. Katherine Dunham: Anthropologist, Artist, Humanist Joyce Aschenbrenner 137
7. Ellen Irene Diggs: Coming of Age in Atlanta, Havana, and Baltimore A. Lynn Bolles 154
8. Across Class and Culture: Allison Davis and His Works Dallas L. Browne 168
9. St. Clair Drake: Scholar and Activist Willie L. Baber 191
10. Arthur Huff Fauset, Campaigner for Social Justice: A Symphony of Diversity Carole H. Carpenter 213
11. Skeletons in the Anthropological Closet: The Life and Work of William S. Willis Jr. Peggy Reeves Sanday 243
12. Hubert B. Ross, the Anthropologist Who Was Ira E. Harrison 265
13. The Continuing Dialogue: The Life and Work of Elliot Skinner as Exemplar of the African-American/African Dialectic Cheryl Mwaria 274
Notes on Contributors 293
