#Ruth Benedict

[uwmspeccoll]

Science Saturday

This Saturday we share illustrations from famous twentieth century cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead’s introductory anthropology text for juvenile audiences, People and Places. Our 1959 first edition copy, part of our Historical Curriculum Collection, was published in  Cleveland by the World Publishing Company.  Some illustrations (mostly artefactual in nature) were provided by Jan Fairservis, an illustrator who collaborated most frequently with her husband, the archeologist Walter Fairservis. The rest of the illustrations were furnished by W. T. [Witold Tedeusz] Mars, a Polish-born artist and illustrator who relocated to the United States in 1951. See image captions for attribution. 

Margaret Mead’s work often argued that non-Western cultures offered modes being that presented alternative, or even better, ways of living. She was pioneering in arguing that culture impacted individual experiences and perceptions, and she was trailblazing in the way she explored the cultural context of gender roles. Mead also saw an alternative to rigid Western sexual mores in some of the cultures she studied. While she never openly identified as bisexual or lesbian, her writings indicate (and her daughter confirms) that she had a number of same-sex romantic relationships throughout her life.  After her fieldwork was disrupted by World War II, Mead, alongside her academic and romantic partner Ruth Benedict, broke new ground in the field by applying traditional anthropological concepts to the study of modern cultures.

If you are interested in learning more about Mead, you should check out this digital exhibit from the Library of Congress. 

You can view more Science Saturday posts here. 

-Olivia, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[loveswitchery]

I shall lie once with beauty, Breast to breast;

Ruth Benedict, an excerpt from New Year, c. 1922

[sleepy-cephalopod-studies]

Finished my second book of this year: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword by Ruth Benedict!

It's definitely biased in that it's largely anecdotal evidence as interpreted by Western anthropologists and other social scientists, but it's a very important work given context. This was imo the first step of Americans and their interest in the perspective of Japanese culture and philosophy after WWII--at that time, I can absolutely see why so many Westerners developed a huge interest in Japanese culture and society after the war. Even if it's not necessarily an accurate snapshot of contemporary Japanese culture, it has meaning as a first academic step towards understanding between these two nations after a very brutal conflict.

Also, the anecdotal evidence is pretty interesting. I personally love Benedict's writing on how Japanese strikes happened vs American ones: in Japan, laborers seemed to actually increase productivity as much as possible after locking out and barring their managers from coming into work. Basically, the point was to prove they worked way better when their superiors weren't there, so why keep them in charge?

[higherentity]

[thelifethaticouldstilllive]

In going away, you learn something profound about your own backyard -- that it doesn't have to be the way it is.

Charles King, Gods of the Upper Air

[the-chomsky-hash]

[eoskultur]

“İnsan topluluklarını ve insanları ayırt eden en önemli ayrımlar, biyolojik değildir, kültüreldir.” Ruth Benedict

[perception-1111]

[thebubblesoutlet]

How to scare the Bridgerton fandom:

I love them 🥰🥰🥰

[didanagy]

BRIDGERTON SEASON 3 BTS

[thelovelygods]

just quoted ruth benedict in a cover letter

[violetbridgertongifs]

RUTH GEMMELL as Violet Bridgerton & LUKE THOMPSON as Benedict Bridgerton BRIDGERTON (2020—Present) 1.01 'Diamond of the First Water'

[usunezukoinezu]

The eye that sees is not a mere physical organ but a means of perception conditioned by the tradition in  which its possessor has been reared.

RUTH BENEDICT

[squirreljc2]

I swear. They must have been putting something in the lube on that set

[mishacollins]

поточний настрій.

[samsrowena]

enough about the finale. look at ruthie