Raymond Firth
Encyclopedia
Sir Raymond William Firth, CNZM
, FBA
, (25 March 1901 – 22 February 2002) was an ethnologist from New Zealand
. As a result of Firth's ethnographic work, actual behaviour of societies (social organization) is separated from the idealized rules of behaviour within the particular society (social structure). He was a long serving Professor
of Anthropology
at London School of Economics
, and is considered to have singlehandedly created a form of British economic anthropology
.
, a suburb of Auckland
, New Zealand in 1901, to Wesley and Marie Firth. He was educated at Auckland Grammar School
, and then at Auckland University College
, where he graduated in economics in 1921. He took his MA there in 1922, and a diploma in social science in 1923. In 1924 he began his doctoral research at the London School of Economics. Originally intending to complete a thesis in economics, a chance meeting with the eminent social anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski led to him to alter his field of study to 'blending economic and anthropological theory with Pacific ethnography'. It was possibly during this period in England that he worked as research assistant to Sir James G Frazer
, author of The Golden Bough
. Firth's doctoral thesis was published in 1929 as Primitive Economics of the New Zealand Māori.
After receiving his PhD in 1927 Firth returned to the southern hemisphere to take up a position at the University of Sydney
, although he did not start teaching immediately as a research opportunity presented itself. In 1928 he first visited Tikopia
, the southernmost of the Solomon Islands
, to study the untouched Polynesian
society there, resistant to outside influences and still with its pagan religion and undeveloped economy. This was the beginning of a long relationship with the 1200 people of the remote four mile long island, and resulted in ten books and numerous articles written over many years. The first of these, We the Tikopia: A Sociological Study of Kinship in Primitive Polynesia was published in 1936 and seventy years on is still used as a basis for many university courses about Oceania
.
In 1930 he started teaching at the University of Sydney. On the departure for Chicago of Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
, Firth succeeded him as acting Professor. He also took over from Radcliffe-Brown as acting editor of the journal Oceania
, and as acting director of the Anthropology Research Committee of the Australian National Research Committee.
After 18 months he returned to the London School of Economics in 1933 to take up a lectureship, and was appointed Reader
in 1935. Together with his wife Rosemary Firth
, also to become a distinguished anthropologist, he undertook fieldwork in Kelantan
and Terengganu
in Malaya
in 1939-1940. During the Second World War Firth worked for British naval intelligence, primarily writing and editing the four volumes of the Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbook Series
that concerned the Pacific Islands. During this period Firth was based in Cambridge, where the LSE had its wartime home.
Firth succeeded Malinowski as Professor of Social Anthropology at LSE in 1944, and he remained at the School for the next 24 years. He returned to Tikopia on research visits several times, although as travel and fieldwork requirements became more burdensome he focused on family and kinship relationships in working- and middle-class London. Firth left LSE in 1968, when he took up a year's appointment as Professor of Pacific Anthropology at the University of Hawaii
. There followed visiting professorships at British Columbia (1969), Cornell (1970), Chicago (1970-1), the Graduate School of the City University of New York (1971) and UC Davis (1974). The second festschrift
published in his honour described him as 'perhaps the greatest living teacher of anthropology today'.
After retiring from teaching work, Firth continued with his research interests, and right up until his hundredth year he was producing articles. He died in London a few weeks before his 101st birthday: his father had lived to 104.
(née Upcott) in 1936. They had one son, Hugh, who was born in 1946. Rosemary died in 2001. Raised a Methodist, Firth later became a humanist
, a decision influenced by his anthropological studies.
by its then-President, Professor Sir Hugh Kawharu
(English translation)
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
, FBA
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, (25 March 1901 – 22 February 2002) was an ethnologist from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. As a result of Firth's ethnographic work, actual behaviour of societies (social organization) is separated from the idealized rules of behaviour within the particular society (social structure). He was a long serving Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and is considered to have singlehandedly created a form of British economic anthropology
Economic anthropology
Economic anthropology is a scholarly field that attempts to explain human economic behavior using the tools of both economics and anthropology. It is practiced by anthropologists and has a complex relationship with economics...
.
Early life and academic career
Firth was born in TamakiTamaki, New Zealand
Tamaki is a small suburb of the city of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located in the east of the city, 11 kilometres from the city centre, by the banks of the estuarial Tamaki River, which is a southern arm of the Hauraki Gulf...
, a suburb of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand in 1901, to Wesley and Marie Firth. He was educated at Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School is a state secondary school for years 9 to 13 boys in Auckland, New Zealand. It had a roll of 2,483 in 2008, including a number of boarders who live in nearby Tibbs' House, making it one of the largest schools in New Zealand...
, and then at Auckland University College
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
, where he graduated in economics in 1921. He took his MA there in 1922, and a diploma in social science in 1923. In 1924 he began his doctoral research at the London School of Economics. Originally intending to complete a thesis in economics, a chance meeting with the eminent social anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski led to him to alter his field of study to 'blending economic and anthropological theory with Pacific ethnography'. It was possibly during this period in England that he worked as research assistant to Sir James G Frazer
James Frazer
Sir James George Frazer , was a Scottish social anthropologist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion...
, author of The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer . It first was published in two volumes in 1890; the third edition, published 1906–15, comprised twelve volumes...
. Firth's doctoral thesis was published in 1929 as Primitive Economics of the New Zealand Māori.
After receiving his PhD in 1927 Firth returned to the southern hemisphere to take up a position at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, although he did not start teaching immediately as a research opportunity presented itself. In 1928 he first visited Tikopia
Tikopia
Tikopia is a small and high island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Covering an area of 5 km² , the island is the remnant of an extinct volcano. Its highest point, Mt. Reani, reaches an elevation of 380 m above sea level. Lake Te Roto covers an old volcanic crater which is 80 m...
, the southernmost of the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, to study the untouched Polynesian
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
society there, resistant to outside influences and still with its pagan religion and undeveloped economy. This was the beginning of a long relationship with the 1200 people of the remote four mile long island, and resulted in ten books and numerous articles written over many years. The first of these, We the Tikopia: A Sociological Study of Kinship in Primitive Polynesia was published in 1936 and seventy years on is still used as a basis for many university courses about Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
.
In 1930 he started teaching at the University of Sydney. On the departure for Chicago of Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown was an English social anthropologist who developed the theory of Structural Functionalism.- Biography :...
, Firth succeeded him as acting Professor. He also took over from Radcliffe-Brown as acting editor of the journal Oceania
Oceania (journal)
The Australian academic journal Oceania was founded in 1930. It publishes contributions in the field of social and cultural anthropology, and its primary regional orientation is to the peoples of Oceania, primarily comprising Australia, Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia and southeast Asia...
, and as acting director of the Anthropology Research Committee of the Australian National Research Committee.
After 18 months he returned to the London School of Economics in 1933 to take up a lectureship, and was appointed Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in 1935. Together with his wife Rosemary Firth
Rosemary Firth
Rosemary, Lady Firth was a British social anthropologist, and wife of Sir Raymond Firth. She specialised in the field of domestic economy.-Life:...
, also to become a distinguished anthropologist, he undertook fieldwork in Kelantan
Kelantan
Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....
and Terengganu
Terengganu
Terengganu is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Iman...
in Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
in 1939-1940. During the Second World War Firth worked for British naval intelligence, primarily writing and editing the four volumes of the Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbook Series
Naval Intelligence Handbooks
The British Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbook Series was produced between 1941 and 1946. At 31 titles, encompassing 58 volumes, this is the largest single body of geographical writing ever published. The books were written to provide information for the Allied war effort. They...
that concerned the Pacific Islands. During this period Firth was based in Cambridge, where the LSE had its wartime home.
Firth succeeded Malinowski as Professor of Social Anthropology at LSE in 1944, and he remained at the School for the next 24 years. He returned to Tikopia on research visits several times, although as travel and fieldwork requirements became more burdensome he focused on family and kinship relationships in working- and middle-class London. Firth left LSE in 1968, when he took up a year's appointment as Professor of Pacific Anthropology at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
. There followed visiting professorships at British Columbia (1969), Cornell (1970), Chicago (1970-1), the Graduate School of the City University of New York (1971) and UC Davis (1974). The second festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
published in his honour described him as 'perhaps the greatest living teacher of anthropology today'.
After retiring from teaching work, Firth continued with his research interests, and right up until his hundredth year he was producing articles. He died in London a few weeks before his 101st birthday: his father had lived to 104.
Honours
- 1940 Fellow of the British AcademyBritish AcademyThe British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
- 1973 KnightKnightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed - 1981 Bronislaw Malinowski AwardBronislaw Malinowski AwardThe Bronislaw Malinowski Award is an award given by the US-based Society for Applied Anthropology in honor of Bronisław Malinowski , an original member and strong supporter of the Society...
- 2001 Companion of the New Zealand Order of MeritNew Zealand Order of MeritThe New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
- 2002 Received the first Leverhulme Medal for a scholar of international distinction
Personal life
Firth married Rosemary FirthRosemary Firth
Rosemary, Lady Firth was a British social anthropologist, and wife of Sir Raymond Firth. She specialised in the field of domestic economy.-Life:...
(née Upcott) in 1936. They had one son, Hugh, who was born in 1946. Rosemary died in 2001. Raised a Methodist, Firth later became a humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
, a decision influenced by his anthropological studies.
Māori lament (poroporoaki) for Sir Raymond Firth
Composed on behalf of the Polynesian SocietyPolynesian Society
The Polynesian Society is a non-profit organization based at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, dedicated to the scholarly study of the history, ethnography, and mythology of Oceania....
by its then-President, Professor Sir Hugh Kawharu
Hugh Kawharu
Sir Ian "Hugh" Kawharu, ONZ, FRSNZ was a distinguished academic and paramount chief of the Ngāti Whātua Māori tribe.Born in Ashburton, New Zealand, he attended Auckland Grammar School...
(English translation)
- You have left us now, Sir Raymond
- Your body has been pierced by the spear of death
- And so farewell. Farewell,
- Scholar renowned in halls of learning throughout the world
- 'Navigator of the Pacific'
- 'Black hawk' of Tamaki.
- Perhaps in the end you were unable to complete all
- the research plans that you had once imposed upon yourself
- But no matter! The truly magnificent legacy you have left
- will be an enduring testimony to your stature.
- Moreover, your spirit is still alive among us,
- We, who have become separated from you in New Zealand,
- in Tikopia and elsewhere.
- Be at rest, father. Rest, forever,
- in peace, and in the care of the Almighty.
Selected bibliography
- 'The Korekore Pa' Journal of the Polynesian Society 34:1–18 (1925)
- 'The Māori Carver' Journal of the Polynesian Society 34:277–291 (1925)
- Primitive Economics of the New Zealand Māori London: George Routledge and Sons (1929) (with a preface by R.H. Tawney)
- We the Tikopia: A Sociological Study of Kinship in Primitive Polynesia London: Allen and Unwin (1936)
- Human Types: An Introduction to Social Anthropology (1938)
- Primitive Polynesian Economy London: Routledge & Sons, Ltd (1939)
- The Work of the Gods in Tikopia Melbourne: Melbourne University Press (1940, 1967)
- 'The Coastal People of Kelantan and Trengganu, Malaya' Geographical Journal 101(5/6):193-205 (1943)
- Pacific Islands Volume 2: Eastern Pacific (ed, with J W Davidson and Margaret Davies), Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbook SeriesNaval Intelligence HandbooksThe British Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbook Series was produced between 1941 and 1946. At 31 titles, encompassing 58 volumes, this is the largest single body of geographical writing ever published. The books were written to provide information for the Allied war effort. They...
, HMSO (November 1943) - Pacific Islands Volume 3: Western Pacific (Tonga to the Solomon Islands) (ed, with J W Davidson and Margaret Davies), Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbook Series, HMSO (December 1944)
- Pacific Islands Volume 4: Western Pacific (New Guinea and Islands Northwards) (ed, with J W Davidson and Margaret Davies), Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbook Series, HMSO (August 1945)
- Pacific Islands Volume 1: General Survey (ed, with J W Davidson and Margaret Davies), Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbook Series, HMSO (August 1945)
- Malay Fishermen: Their Peasant Economy London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner (1946)
- Elements of Social Organization London: Watts and Co (1951)
- 'Social Organization and Social Change' Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 84:1–20 (1954)
- 'Some Principles of Social Organization' Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 85:1–18 (1955)
- Man and Culture: An Evaluation of the Work of Malinowski Raymond Firth (ed) (1957)
- Economics of the New Zealand Māori Wellington: Government Printer (1959) (revised edition of Primitive Economics of the New Zealand Māori (1929))
- Social Change in Tikopia (1959)
- Essays on Social Organization and Values London School of Economics Monographs on Social Anthropology, no. 28. London: Athlone Press (1964)
- Tikopia Ritual and Belief (1967)
- 'Themes in Economic Anthropology: A General Comment' in Themes in Economic Anthropology Raymond Firth, ed. 1–28. London: Tavistock (1967)
- Rank and Religion in Tikopia (1970)
- History and Traditions of Tikopia (1971)
- Symbols: Public and Private (1973)
- 'The Sceptical Anthropologist? Social Anthropology and Marxist Views on Society' in Marxist Analyses and Social Anthropology M. Bloch, ed. 29–60. London: Malaby (1975)
- 'An Appraisal of Modern Social Anthropology' Annual Review of Anthropology 4:1–25 (1975)
- 'Whose Frame of Reference? One Anthropologist's Experience' Anthropological Forum 4(2):9–31 (1977)
- 'Roles of Women and Men in a Sea Fishing Economy: Tikopia Compared with Kelantan' in The Fishing Culture of the World: Studies in Ethnology, Cultural Ecology and Folklore Béla Gunda (ed) Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó 1145-1170 (1984)
- Taranga Fakatikopia ma Taranga Fakainglisi: Tikopia-English Dictionary (1985)
- Tikopia Songs: Poetic and Musical Art of a Polynesian People of the Solomon Islands (1990)
- Religion: A Humanist Interpretation (1996)
- 'Tikopia Dreams: Personal Images of Social Reality' Journal of the Polynesian Society 110(1):7–29 (2001)
- 'The Creative Contribution of Indigenous People to Their Ethnography' Journal of the Polynesian Society 110(3):241–245 (2001)
Other sources
- Feinberg, Richard, and Karen Ann Watson-Gegeo (eds) (1996) Leadership and Change in the Western Pacific: Essays Presented to Sir Raymond Firth on Occasion of his 90th Birthday London School of Economics Monographs on Social Anthropology. London: Athlone (third festschriftFestschriftIn academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
for Raymond Firth) - Freedman, Maurice (ed) (1967) Social Organization: Essays Presented to Raymond Firth Chicago: Aldine (first festschrift for Raymond Firth)
- Macdonald, Judith (2000) 'The Tikopia and "What Raymond Said"' in Sjoerd R. Jaarsma and Marta A. Rohatynskyj (eds), Ethnographic Artifacts: Challenges to a Reflexive Anthropology Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press 107-123
- Parkin, David (1988) 'An interview with Raymond Firth' Current Anthropology 29(2):327-341
- Watson-Gegeo, Karen Ann, and S. Lee Seaton, (eds) (1978) Adaptation and Symbolism: Essays on Social Organization Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press (second festschift for Sir Raymond Firth)