Robert Paine (anthropologist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Paine
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Robert Paine at Logy Bay, Newfoundland, 2008
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| Born |
Robert Patrick Barten Paine
10 April 1926 |
| Died | 8 July 2010 (aged 81) |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford (BA, M. Phil and D. Phil) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Anthropology |
| Institutions | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| Doctoral advisor | Franz Baermann Steiner |
Robert Patrick Barten Paine (born April 10, 1926 – died July 8, 2010) was a famous anthropologist. He was born in Britain but became a Canadian citizen.
An anthropologist is a scientist who studies human societies and cultures. Robert Paine studied the Saami people in northern Scandinavia and the Inuit people. He also wrote about other interesting topics like why people gossip.
Contents
Robert Paine's Life Story
Robert Paine was born in Portsmouth, England on April 10, 1926. When he was 17, he joined the Royal Marines. He was a paratrooper, which means he jumped out of planes. In 1945, he helped in the campaign to take back Hong Kong from the Japanese.
After the war, he went to Oxford University. There, he earned several degrees. He studied under important professors like Franz Steiner.
Studying the Sámi People
For his main research project, Paine lived in Finnmark, Norway. He studied the Sámi people who lived along the coast. He wrote two books about them. These books described how the Sámi community was changing as it became more connected to the wider society.
During this time, he even worked as a reindeer herder. He also lived with and studied Sámi groups who moved around with their reindeer. His studies of Sámi culture were so good that some Sámi families used his books to teach their own children.
Working at Memorial University
After teaching in Norway, Paine moved to Canada in 1965. He became the head of the Sociology and Anthropology departments at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He also led a research center there. He helped make the university well-known around the world for its research.
Ideas on Welfare Colonialism
In his 1977 book, The White Arctic, Paine shared an important idea called Welfare Colonialism. He explained how money spent on health, education, and jobs for Indigenous people in the Canadian Arctic sometimes made things worse. It could lower living standards and weaken their traditional ways of life.
Other anthropologists liked this idea. They used it to understand similar situations in places like Australia.
Speaking Up for People
Robert Paine often used his research to help people. He wrote a report against a plan to build a dam in Norway. This dam would have harmed the Sámi people's reindeer herding. He also warned about the effects of the Chernobyl disaster on reindeer.
Paine wanted his work on welfare colonialism to help "policymakers in Ottawa." These were the people in the Canadian government who could make changes. Later, he used his anthropology skills to understand the complex situation of Israeli settlements.
Paine had close friends who were also anthropologists, like Fredrik Barth and Anthony Cohen.
Books by Robert Paine
Robert Paine wrote many articles and twelve books. Here are some of his books:
- Coast Lapp Society I: A Study of a Neighbourhood In Revsbotn Fjord, 1957
- Coast Lapp Society II: A Study of Economic Development and Social Values, 1965
- Patrons and Brokers in the East Arctic, 1971
- Second Thoughts About Barth's Models, 1974
- The White Arctic: Anthropological Essays on Tutelage and Ethnicity, 1977
- Ayatollahs & Turkey Trots: Political Rhetoric in the New Newfoundland: Crosbie, Jamieson, and Peckford, 1981
- Politically Speaking: Cross-Cultural Studies of Rhetoric, 1981
- Advocacy and Anthropology, First Encounters, 1985
- Herds of the Tundra: a Portrait of Saami Reindeer Pastoralism, 1994
- Camps of the Tundra: Politics Through Reindeer Among Saami Pastoralists, 2009
Awards and Honors
Robert Paine received many awards and honors for his work:
- He became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists.
- He became a Member of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest awards for citizens.
- He received honorary doctorates (special degrees) from several universities:
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway
- Memorial University of Newfoundland
- He became a Fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in 1988.
About Robert Paine
Robert Paine loved being outdoors. He was a lifelong birdwatcher. He also enjoyed taking long walks with his dogs.
