Sylvia M. Broadbent facts for kids

Sylvia Marguerite Broadbent was an American anthropologist. She was born in London, United Kingdom, on February 26, 1932. She passed away in Arlington, California, United States, on July 30, 2015. Dr. Broadbent was a professor who studied Native American peoples.

Early Life and Education

Sylvia Broadbent was born in London. After World War II, her family moved to Carmel, California, in 1947. She finished high school at Carmel High School in 1948 when she was 16.

She then went to the University of California, Berkeley. She earned her Associate of Arts degree in Anthropology in 1951. She also received her Bachelor's degree in Anthropology in 1952. From 1955 to 1960, she did research among native peoples in Southern California. She recorded their languages, including Chukchansi, Ohlone, and Miwok. In 1960, she earned her Ph.D. Her main project was a detailed study of the Southern Sierra Miwok language.

Her Work as an Anthropologist

Dr. Broadbent started teaching at Northwestern University in 1961. Later that year, she taught at Barnard College. In 1964, she joined the faculty at Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia. There, she focused on studying the Muisca people. They live on a high plateau in the Colombian Andes mountains.

In 1966, she began teaching at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). She became a full professor in 1972. Eventually, she became the head of the anthropology department before she retired. Her research papers are kept in the special collections at UCR.

Dr. Broadbent was also a member of the Sierra Club. This group works to protect the environment. She was part of a lawsuit to limit vehicles in the California desert. In 1981, she wrote a book called The Formation of Peasant Society in Central Colombia. For this book, she won an award in 1983. Today, UCR offers a special award for anthropology students named after her.