Mary Catherine Bateson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Catherine Bateson
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Bateson in 2004
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| Born | December 8, 1939 New York City, US
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| Died | January 2, 2021 (aged 81) |
| Education | Brearley School Radcliffe College (BA)) Harvard University (PhD) |
| Occupation | Cultural anthropologist |
| Spouse(s) |
J. Barkev Kassarjian
(m. 1960) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Gregory Bateson Margaret Mead |
| Relatives | Jeremy Steig (cousin) William Steig (uncle) Leo Rosten (uncle) |
Mary Catherine Bateson (born December 8, 1939 – died January 2, 2021) was an American writer and a cultural anthropologist. An anthropologist studies human societies and cultures.
Mary Catherine was the daughter of two very famous researchers, Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. She wrote many books, including With a Daughter's Eye: A Memoir of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. This book shared stories about growing up with her well-known parents. She taught at important universities like Harvard, Amherst, and George Mason University. She also led the Institute for Intercultural Studies in New York for many years.
Early Life and Education
Mary Catherine Bateson went to the Brearley School. She earned her first degree from Radcliffe in 1960. Later, in 1963, she received her PhD from Harvard. Her advanced studies focused on languages and the Middle East. For her PhD, she studied the patterns of language in old Arabic poems.
Personal Life
Mary Catherine Bateson was married to Barkev Kassarjian. He was a professor who taught about business. They were married from 1960 until her death. They had one daughter named Sevanne Margaret, who was born in 1969. Sevanne is an actress and uses the name Sevanne Martin. Mary Catherine also had two grandsons. Her family included other creative people, like her cousin Jeremy Steig and her uncles William Steig and Leo Rosten.
Later Years and Death
Mary Catherine Bateson passed away on January 2, 2021. She was 81 years old. She died at a special care center near her home in Lebanon, New Hampshire. A few months before, she had fallen and hurt her brain.
Her Unique Writing Style
Mary Catherine Bateson saw herself as someone who worked for peace and fairness. She believed it was very important to keep learning throughout life, especially as people live longer.
She started her career studying languages and Arabic poetry. But then, she became interested in how people communicate in general. This led her to become an anthropologist. Mary Catherine began to use her own life experiences in her writing. She wrote about being a woman, a daughter, a mother, a scholar, and an anthropologist. She used her own journey to guide her books.
Mary Catherine liked to make her readers think. She would share her ideas and then encourage readers to ask their own questions. Her writing style was a bit like keeping a journal. She often used personal stories or quotes to explain her thoughts. She also included experiences from people in different cultures.
One of her first books was her memoir, With a Daughter's Eye. In this book, she looked back at her childhood with her parents, Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. Writing this book helped her understand herself better. It also helped her use her experiences in her other writings. For example, her next book, Composing a Life, explored how her journey as a scholar was similar to what other women faced. In the 1980s, women often dealt with unfair treatment and were seen as less capable. Mary Catherine questioned these ideas about gender using her own life as an example.
She used this method in all her work. Many of her books still inspire people who question old ideas about what men and women should do or be.
