Elsie Clews Parsons
Encyclopedia
Elsie Worthington Clews Parsons (November 27, 1875 - December 19, 1941) was an American
anthropologist, sociologist, folklorist, and feminist who studied Native American
tribes—such as the Tewa and Hopi
—in Arizona
, New Mexico
, and Mexico
. She helped found The New School
. She was associate editor for The Journal of American Folklore (1918-1941), president of the American Folklore Society
(1919-1920), president of the American Ethnological Society
(1923-1925), and was elected the first female
president of the American Anthropological Association
(1941) right before her death.
She earned her bachelor's degree
from Barnard College
in 1896. She received her master’s degree (1897) and Ph.D.
(1899) from Columbia University
.
Every other year, the American Ethnological Society awards the Elsie Clews Parsons Prize for the best graduate student paper, in her honor.
, a wealthy New York
banker, and Lucy Madison Worthington. Her brother, Henry Clews, Jr. was an artist
. In 1900, she married future three-term progressive
Republican
congressman Herbert Parsons
, an associate and political ally of President Teddy Roosevelt. When her husband was a member of Congress, she published two then-controversial books under the pseudonym
John Main.
She became interested in anthropology in 1910.
Her work Pueblo Indian Religion is considered a classic; here she gathered all her previous extensive work and that of other authors.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
anthropologist, sociologist, folklorist, and feminist who studied Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribes—such as the Tewa and Hopi
Hopi
The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
—in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. She helped found The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
. She was associate editor for The Journal of American Folklore (1918-1941), president of the American Folklore Society
American Folklore Society
The American Folklore Society is the US-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world. It was founded in 1888 by William Wells Newell, who stood at the center of a diverse group of university-based scholars, museum anthropologists, and men...
(1919-1920), president of the American Ethnological Society
American Ethnological Society
The American Ethnological Society is the oldest professional anthropological association in the United States.- History of the American Ethnological Society :...
(1923-1925), and was elected the first female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
president of the American Anthropological Association
American Anthropological Association
The American Anthropological Association is a professional organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 11,000 members, the Arlington, Virginia based association includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, biological anthropologists, linguistic...
(1941) right before her death.
She earned her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
in 1896. She received her master’s degree (1897) and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(1899) from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Every other year, the American Ethnological Society awards the Elsie Clews Parsons Prize for the best graduate student paper, in her honor.
Biography
Elsie Clews Parsons was the daughter of Henry ClewsHenry Clews
-Biography:He was born in 1836 in Staffordshire, England, and emigrated to the United States around 1850. His first job was at an import business, working as a junior clerk. In 1859 he co-founded Livermore, Clews, and Company, what was then the second largest marketer of federal bonds during the...
, a wealthy New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
banker, and Lucy Madison Worthington. Her brother, Henry Clews, Jr. was an artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. In 1900, she married future three-term progressive
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
congressman Herbert Parsons
Herbert Parsons
Herbert Parsons was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born in New York City, Parsons attended private schools in New York City, St...
, an associate and political ally of President Teddy Roosevelt. When her husband was a member of Congress, she published two then-controversial books under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
John Main.
She became interested in anthropology in 1910.
Her work Pueblo Indian Religion is considered a classic; here she gathered all her previous extensive work and that of other authors.
Early works of sociology
- The Family (1906)
- Religious Chastity
- The Old-Fashioned Woman (1913)
- Fear and Conventionality (1914)
- Social Freedom (1915)
- Social Rule (1916)
Anthropology works
- The Social Organization of the Tewa of New Mexico (1929)
- Hopi and Zuni Ceremonialism (1933)
- Pueblo Indian Religion (1939)
Research in folklore
- Folk-Lore from the Cape Verde Islands (1923)
- Folk-Lore of the Sea Islands, S.C. (1924)
- Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English (3v., 1933-1943).
See also
- Ruth BenedictRuth BenedictRuth Benedict was an American anthropologist, cultural relativist, and folklorist....
- Franz BoasFranz BoasFranz Boas was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology" and "the Father of Modern Anthropology." Like many such pioneers, he trained in other disciplines; he received his doctorate in physics, and did...
- Cape Verdean Creole
- History of feminismHistory of feminismThe history of feminism involves the story of feminist movements and of feminist thinkers. Depending on time, culture and country, feminists around the world have sometimes had different causes and goals...
- List of Barnard College people
- Zora Neale HurstonZora Neale HurstonZora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...
- Mabel Dodge LuhanMabel Dodge LuhanMabel Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan , née Ganson was a wealthy American patron of the arts. She is particularly associated with the Taos art colony.-Early life:...
- Mandelieu-la-NapouleMandelieu-la-NapouleMandelieu-La Napoule is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France, located on the French Riviera just to the southwest of Cannes and northeast of Théoule-sur-Mer....
- Margaret MeadMargaret MeadMargaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist, who was frequently a featured writer and speaker in the mass media throughout the 1960s and 1970s....
- Pueblo ClownsPueblo ClownsPueblo Clowns is a generic term for jester or trickster in the Kachina religion practiced by the Pueblo Indians of the southwestern USA. There are a number of figures in the ritual practice of the Pueblo people...
- Taos PuebloTaos PuebloTaos Pueblo is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos speaking Native American tribe of Pueblo people. It is approximately 1000 years old and lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico, USA...
External links
- Elsie Clews Parsons Papers at the American Philosophical SocietyAmerican Philosophical SocietyThe American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
- Elsie Clews Parsons, The Journal of a Feminist by Professor Catherine Lavender, City University of New York
- Elsie Clews Parsons, Minnesota State University, Mankato
- Stacy A. Cordery. "Review of Desley Deacon, Elsie Clews Parsons: Inventing Modern Life," H-Women, H-Net Reviews, November, 1998.
- Working Woman by Tanya Luhrmann, The New York Times