Charlotte Gower Chapman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charlotte Gower Chapman
Born	Charlotte Day Gower 1902 Kankakee, Illinois, USA
Died	1982
Nationality	American
Citizenship	U.S.
Spouse(s)	Savilion H. Chapman

Charlotte Gower Chapman, born Charlotte Day Gower, was an American ethnologist and author. An ethnologist studies different cultures and human societies. In 1928, she earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago. Anthropology is the study of humankind.

During World War II, she worked at Lingnan University in China. When the United States joined the war, Japanese forces took her prisoner. She was released by 1942. After her release, she joined the United States Marine Corps. She then worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) until 1947. The OSS was an intelligence agency during the war. Later, she joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and worked there until she retired in 1964.

Chapman wrote an important book called Milocca: A Sicilian Village. This book described the daily life and traditions of people in a Sicilian village. It also talked about some of the old beliefs and customs. Her book showed how life was changing for Sicilians in the 20th century.

Her Education and Studies

Charlotte Gower started studying at the University of Chicago in 1924. She joined the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Her studies were shaped by two big ideas. One was Franz Boas's idea of "four-fields anthropology." This means studying culture, language, archaeology, and human biology together. The other was "Chicago School sociology," which looked at how people lived in cities.

From 1926, she helped with a project studying Illinois's ancient history. This was archaeological field work. She even gave a presentation about this work in 1927. In 1926, she earned her master's degree. Her thesis was about the old cultures of the West Indies.

For her Ph.D., she studied the Sicilian immigrant community in Chicago. She first focused on their religion and culture during the Prohibition era. Then, she traveled to a small mountain village in Sicily called Milocca. She spent 18 months there doing research. She learned to speak both the local Sicilian language and standard Italian. It was challenging to work as a woman in the field back then. She earned her Ph.D. in 1928. She was one of only two women to get that degree in her department during her time there.

Her Important Work

In her book Milocca, Charlotte Gower described the traditional life of the village. But she also wrote about the changes happening. She noted the political tensions between different groups at the time. She also described an event in 1920 where local workers took over some large farms.

She also wrote about the rise of the Fascist party in Italy. She described how certain local groups, sometimes called the Mafia, influenced village life. She even mentioned a time in 1928 when many people suspected of being part of the Mafia were arrested in Milocca.

Gower's book is seen as a very complete study of a community. It looked at how society was organized. It also covered Sicilian family ties, religious beliefs, and special annual parades for saints. Her book is one of the few records of Sicilian village life before World War II. Other researchers often refer to her work.

Charlotte Gower became an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin in 1930. She taught there until 1938. Then, she moved to China to teach at Ling-Nan University.