Esther Hermitte
Encyclopedia
María Esther Álvarez de Hermitte (1921-1990), best known as Esther Hermitte, was a recognized social anthropologist
from Argentina
.
. She got a bachelor's degree of History and later she specialized in Social Anthropology
. After that she won a scholarship given by the CONICET (National Scientific and Technical Research Council) which was, by that period, directed by the Nobel prize winner Bernardo Houssay
.
in the United States, where she assisted to the Social Systems courses. A year later she was sent to Mexico
together with the linguistic R. Radhakrishnan
and the aborigin interpreter Alberto Méndez Tobilla to do field work about the Mayan
community of Pinola, Villa Las Rosas in the state of Chiapas
.
As a result of years of work in site and of her later analysis about "Social movility in a bicultural community in Chiapas" and "Sobrenatural power and social control", Hermitte got her degree of "Master of Arts" in 1965 and "Philosophical Doctor" in 1964.
The members of the doctoral committee of the University of Chicago
Manning Nash, Lloyd Fallers and her mentors Pitt-Rivers
and McQuown, recognized Hermitte's talent and she received as a reward the Roy D. Albert Prize for her master thesis and the Bobbs Merryl Award for her doctoral thesis.
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Biography
Hermitte studied at the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras within the University of Buenos AiresUniversity of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
. She got a bachelor's degree of History and later she specialized in Social Anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
. After that she won a scholarship given by the CONICET (National Scientific and Technical Research Council) which was, by that period, directed by the Nobel prize winner Bernardo Houssay
Bernardo Houssay
-External links:* * . WhoNamedIt.* . Nobel Foundation....
.
Field work
By 1958 Hermitte moved to the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in the United States, where she assisted to the Social Systems courses. A year later she was sent to 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...
together with the linguistic R. Radhakrishnan
R. Radhakrishnan
Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan, commonly known as R. Radhakrishnan, is Chancellor's Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine, and is considered one of the leading postcolonial theorists and literary critics in the United States. He was born on October 28,...
and the aborigin interpreter Alberto Méndez Tobilla to do field work about the Mayan
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
community of Pinola, Villa Las Rosas in the state of Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
.
As a result of years of work in site and of her later analysis about "Social movility in a bicultural community in Chiapas" and "Sobrenatural power and social control", Hermitte got her degree of "Master of Arts" in 1965 and "Philosophical Doctor" in 1964.
The members of the doctoral committee of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
Manning Nash, Lloyd Fallers and her mentors Pitt-Rivers
Pitt-Rivers
-People:* William Horace Pitt-Rivers, 3rd Baron Rivers . Born William Beckford, he adopted the name on inheriting the title from his brother-in-law George Pitt, 2nd Baron Rivers.* George Pitt-Rivers, 4th Baron Rivers...
and McQuown, recognized Hermitte's talent and she received as a reward the Roy D. Albert Prize for her master thesis and the Bobbs Merryl Award for her doctoral thesis.
Publications
- Diario de campo, 2 vols. Inéd 1960-1.
- Movilidad Social en una comunidad bicultural, Revista Latinoamericana de Sociología, Centro de Investanciones Sociales del Instituto Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires, 1968.
- Poder sobrenatural y control social: en un pueblo maya contemporáneo, Instituto Indigenista Interamericano, México, 1970.
- El concepto de nahual en Pinola, México, en Ensayos antropológicos en los Altos de Chiapas. McQuown & Pitt-Rivers comps., Instituto Indigenista Interamericano, México, 1989.