Ursula McConnel
Encyclopedia
Ursula Hope McConnel was a Queensland
anthropologist
and ethnographer
best remembered for her work with, and the records she made of the Wik Mungkan
people of Cape York Peninsula
.
First trained at University College
London, then supervised by Professor Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
in the Department of Anthropology, University of Sydney
, McConnel was one of the first woman to be trained in anthropology and then go out to observe Aboriginal Australians
in remote areas, systematically documenting, recording, and describing their culture, mythology, beliefs, and way of life
), Ursula McConnel was the eighth child (fifth daughter) of grazier James Henry McConnel and his wife, Mary Elizabeth McConnel (née Kent).
Raised on the Cressbrook property in what has been described as an "austere" and "repressed" family environment, she was:
Ursula McConnell has been described as a brave, free-thinking, open questing woman with sometimes strong emotions, growing up at a time when the first wave of feminism
n Australia was coming of age: " .. a perfect test case for the various ideas of self-creation .." who also, during troubled times studying, came under the shaping influence of her brother-in-law and psychologist Elton Mayo
:
She was once engaged, never married, and being financially secure in her investments in wool bonds, devoted her life to her anthropological research endeavours in Western Cape York Peninsula, driven by a strong sense of duty and justice to the people with whom she had worked.
. By the age of 20 she completed and attained a first-class honours in philosophy and psychology at the University of Queensland.
At the age of 35 she commenced a doctorate in anthropology at University College London
, but, lonely, stressed, and ill she returned to Australia in 1927 without completing her doctorate. On her return, under Professor Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
(University of Sydney) she started doing ethnographic research amongst the Wik Mungkan
people, Cape York Peninsula.
(1931–33) to study under Edward Sapir
at Yale University
, in the United States of America.
She attempted to obtain a doctorate in anthropology from University College, London, by submitting her publications, but, in the end, never obtained that doctorate, though still laying a significant foundation for present day anthropological research amongst the Aboriginal peoples of the region..
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
anthropologist
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...
and ethnographer
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
best remembered for her work with, and the records she made of the Wik Mungkan
Wik-Mungkan language
Wik-Mungknh, also often called Wik-Mungkan, is a Paman language spoken on the northern part of Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia, by the Wik-Mungknh people. It is closely related to the other Wik-Mungknh language, Wik-Iiyanh, and more distantly to the Wik languages...
people of Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
.
First trained at University College
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
London, then supervised by Professor Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown was an English social anthropologist who developed the theory of Structural Functionalism.- Biography :...
in the Department of Anthropology, 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...
, McConnel was one of the first woman to be trained in anthropology and then go out to observe Aboriginal Australians
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
in remote areas, systematically documenting, recording, and describing their culture, mythology, beliefs, and way of life
Early life
Born on a grazing property called "Cressbrook" (near Toogoolawah, QueenslandToogoolawah, Queensland
Toogoolawah is a small town in South East Queensland, Australia. Toogoolawah is a centre for gliding and parachuting and in the past the centre of a dairying industry. Cressbrook Creek, a tributary of the Brisbane River, passes through the town as does the Brisbane Valley Highway...
), Ursula McConnel was the eighth child (fifth daughter) of grazier James Henry McConnel and his wife, Mary Elizabeth McConnel (née Kent).
Raised on the Cressbrook property in what has been described as an "austere" and "repressed" family environment, she was:
"Striking in looks, brilliant in intellectual gifts, she passed through Brisbane High School for GirlsSomerville HouseSomerville House is an independent, boarding and day school for girls, located in South Brisbane, an inner-city suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia....
and New England Girls' SchoolNew England Girls' SchoolThe New England Girls' School , is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for girls, located in Armidale, a rural city in northern New South Wales, Australia....
at ArmidaleArmidale, New South WalesArmidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
, garlanded with prizes, before taking first-class honours in philosophy at the University of QueenslandUniversity of QueenslandThe University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
Ursula McConnell has been described as a brave, free-thinking, open questing woman with sometimes strong emotions, growing up at a time when the first wave of feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
n Australia was coming of age: " .. a perfect test case for the various ideas of self-creation .." who also, during troubled times studying, came under the shaping influence of her brother-in-law and psychologist Elton Mayo
Elton Mayo
George Elton Mayo was an Australian psychologist, sociologist and organization theorist.He lectured at the University of Queensland from 1911 to 1923 before moving to the University of Pennsylvania, but spent most of his career at Harvard Business School , where he was professor of industrial...
:
"She was a student of herself [and] believed the human mind could not only be probed and subjected to intensive study through its social context but that its individual workings could be analysed and known in depth"
She was once engaged, never married, and being financially secure in her investments in wool bonds, devoted her life to her anthropological research endeavours in Western Cape York Peninsula, driven by a strong sense of duty and justice to the people with whom she had worked.
Education
At New England Girl's School she got prizes in singing and languages. From ages 17 to 19 she attended courses in history, politics, literature, and music at King's College LondonKing's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. By the age of 20 she completed and attained a first-class honours in philosophy and psychology at the University of Queensland.
At the age of 35 she commenced a doctorate in anthropology at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, but, lonely, stressed, and ill she returned to Australia in 1927 without completing her doctorate. On her return, under Professor Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown was an English social anthropologist who developed the theory of Structural Functionalism.- Biography :...
(University of Sydney) she started doing ethnographic research amongst the Wik Mungkan
Wik-Mungkan language
Wik-Mungknh, also often called Wik-Mungkan, is a Paman language spoken on the northern part of Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia, by the Wik-Mungknh people. It is closely related to the other Wik-Mungknh language, Wik-Iiyanh, and more distantly to the Wik languages...
people, Cape York Peninsula.
Career
Between 1927 and 1934 Ursula McConnel undertook five field trips into the Cape, and published numerous articles plus a book (entitled Myths of the Munkan) mostly about the Wik Mungkan people, and the Aboriginal Australians of Cape York generally. During this period she was also awarded a Rockefeller fellowshipRockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
(1931–33) to study under Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir was an American anthropologist-linguist, widely considered to be one of the most important figures in the early development of the discipline of linguistics....
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, in the United States of America.
She attempted to obtain a doctorate in anthropology from University College, London, by submitting her publications, but, in the end, never obtained that doctorate, though still laying a significant foundation for present day anthropological research amongst the Aboriginal peoples of the region..
External links
- University of Melbourne "BrightSparks" Biographical Entry Accessed 8 June 2009
- Anne O'Gorman Perusco's Australian Dictionary of Biography Entry "McConnel, Ursula Hope (1888 - 1957)" Accessed 8 June 2009
- Invitiation to McLeay Museum, Sydney, Lecture and Exhibition on Australia's First Generation of Anthropologists Accessed 8 June 2009
- South Australian Museum Media Release (2006) "Major new collection of anthropological material donated to SA Museum" Accessed 8 June 2009
- Article in the Australian (15 August 2009) "Enigma variations", regarding the finding and contents of Ursula McConnell's private archive Accessed 17 August 2009
- McConnel Article in the Courier Mail (11 September 1933) "Studies Among Natives -Miss Ursula McConnel's Work" Accessed 8 June 2009
- McConnel Article in the Courier Mail (11 January 1934) "Study Tribes in the Wild - Task for the Trained" Accessed 8 June 2009
Newspaper articles
- Sydney Morning Herald (17 April 1929) "Girl Anthropologist: Cape York studies"
- Courier Mail (11 September 1933) "Studies Among Natives -Miss Ursula McConnel's Work"Accessed 30 April 2010
- Courier Mail (30 September 1933) "Social Life Study: Miss Ursula McConnell's Address" Accessed 30 April 2010 Accessed 30 April 2010
- Courier Mail (22 December 1933) "In Town and Out: Miss Ursula McConnel a noted anthropologist .. is one of a small group of Australian anthropologists who are doing hard field work among the natives Accessed 30 April 2010
- Sydney Morning Herald (8 March 1934) "Science: Adventures in Anthropology by Ursula McConnell Accessed 30 April 2010