Fredrik Barth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fredrik Barth
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| Born |
Thomas Fredrik Weybye Barth
22 December 1928 |
| Died | 24 January 2016 (aged 87) Norway
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| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago (M.A.) Cambridge University (Ph.D.) |
| Spouse(s) | Unni Wikan |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Anthropology |
| Institutions | Boston University University of Bergen |
| Doctoral advisor | Edmund Leach |
Thomas Fredrik Weybye Barth (born December 22, 1928 – died January 24, 2016) was a famous Norwegian social anthropologist. He wrote many books about different cultures and how societies work. He was a professor at several universities, including Boston University, and he even started the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen in Norway. In 1985, he was honored as a special government scholar.
Contents
Discovering Cultures: Fredrik Barth's Journey
Fredrik Barth was born in Leipzig, Germany. His father, Thomas Barth, was a geology professor, and his uncle was a zoology professor. Growing up in an academic family in Norway, Fredrik became very interested in how humans evolved and where we came from.
In 1946, he went to the University of Chicago in the United States. He earned his master's degree in paleoanthropology and archaeology in 1949. This means he studied ancient humans and their cultures.
Early Expeditions and First Books
After his studies, Barth returned to Norway. In 1951, he joined an archaeological trip to Iraq. He stayed longer to study the Kurdish population. He then wrote his first book, Principles of Social Organization in Southern Kurdistan, in 1953.
Barth continued his studies in England with Professor Edmund Leach. For his PhD, he did fieldwork in Swat, Pakistan. His research became the book Political Leadership among Swat Pathan (1959). He also studied the Basseri nomads in Iran, which led to his 1961 book Nomads of South Persia.
Building Anthropology in Norway
In 1961, Fredrik Barth was invited to the University of Bergen in Norway. His important job was to create a new anthropology department. He wanted to bring a modern, international style of social anthropology to Norway. Before this, anthropology in Norway was mostly about old traditions and museum collections. Barth aimed to build a world-class department like those in England and the U.S.
He stayed at Bergen until 1972. During this time, he studied social changes in Norway. He also wrote important theoretical books. These included Models of Social Organization (1966) and Ethnic Groups and Boundaries (1969). The introduction to Ethnic Groups and Boundaries became his most famous essay.
Later Research and Global Studies
In 1974, Barth moved to Oslo and became a professor. He also led the city's Museum of Cultural History. He started studying how people create meaning and rituals within their groups. He did research in Papua New Guinea with the Baktaman people. This work resulted in his 1975 book, Ritual and Knowledge among the Baktaman of New Guinea.
He also continued his studies in the Middle East. With his wife, Unni Wikan, he did fieldwork in Oman. Their research led to the 1983 book Sohar: Culture and Society in an Omani Town.
In 1985, Barth received a special scholarship from the Norwegian government. He then taught in the United States at Emory University (1989-1996) and Boston University (1997-2008). He and his wife decided to study cultures in Bali, Indonesia. He became interested in how people gain and use knowledge, which he explored in his 1993 book Balinese Worlds. Later, he also did research in Bhutan.
Fredrik Barth was a member of important groups like the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. He was also elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Understanding People: Barth's Main Ideas
Fredrik Barth was known for his unique ways of looking at how societies work. He studied political processes in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. He also looked at how small businesses and trade worked in Darfur in Sudan. His work helped create a new way of thinking in economic anthropology.
Throughout his career, Barth studied many different topics. He did fieldwork in Bali, New Guinea, and several countries in the Middle East.
What is Ethnicity?
Barth had a big impact on how we understand ethnicity. In his famous 1969 book Ethnic Groups and Boundaries, he explained that ethnic groups are not just separate cultures. Instead, he focused on how groups interact and create their identities.
Barth believed that ethnicity is not something people are born with and cannot change. He showed that ethnic groups are always changing and being shaped by how people connect with each other. He looked at how people use ethnic labels and how these labels stay important even when individuals move between groups.
He stressed that ethnic identities are formed and kept alive through ongoing processes of including and excluding others. This means that ethnic identity is created and maintained through relationships between people.
Personal Life
Fredrik Barth was married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Allee from 1949 to 1972. He then married Unni Wikan in 1974. She is also a professor of social anthropology. Fredrik Barth passed away in Norway on January 24, 2016, at the age of 87.
Literature
- Lewis, Herbert S. (2017). « L’anthropologue nomade : Biographie intellectuelle de Frederik Barth », in BEROSE - International Encyclopaedia of the Histories of Anthropology, Paris.
- Thomas Hylland Eriksen Fredrik Barth: An intellectual biography University of Chicago Press 2015 ISBN: 9780745335360
- Balinese worlds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. ISBN: 0-226-03833-5
- Cosmologies in the making : a generative approach to cultural variation in inner New Guinea. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987. ISBN: 0-521-34279-1
- Sohar, culture and society in an Omani town. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1983. ISBN: 0-8018-2840-6
- Ritual and knowledge among the Baktaman of New Guinea. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1975. ISBN: 0-300-01816-9
- Ethnic groups and boundaries. The social organization of culture difference. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1969. ISBN: 978-0-04-572019-4 (Reissued Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 1998)
- Models of social organization. London, Royal Anthropological Institute, 1966.
- Nomads of South-Persia; the Basseri tribe of the Khamseh Confederacy. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1962.
- Political leadership among Swat Pathans. London : The Athlone Press, 1959.
See also
In Spanish: Fredrik Barth para niños
