Hilda Kuper

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Hilda Beemer Kuper (born August 23, 1911 in Bulawayo ; † 1992 ) was a Zimbabwean anthropologist . She developed a strong interest in political conditions in research and is considered a forerunner of political anthropology. She dealt with the privileges of the white settlers, as well as the conflicts and tensions within the white population group.

Life

Kuper grew up in a European-Jewish family - her Viennese mother and her Lithuanian father had emigrated to Africa at the turn of the century. Later family conflicts between Jews and non-Jews arose , as well as further tensions in the course of the First World War : her mother and brother were friendly to Germany, the father was on the British side. Hilda Kupper studied literature, theater and acting in London . She later became an anthropologist and helped unjustly punished. She worked with Alfred Radcliffe-Brown in Cape Town and was very impressed by her teacher W. Hoernle at the time.

Kuper dealt with evolutionists - cultural theory , got to know the Africa explorer Frobenius and the sociological Durkheim school. As a student she did field research in the slums of Johannesburg . Indian immigrants, especially women, secretly burned schnapps there to finance school fees. These women were easily caught and put in prisons. At that time, Kuper looked after their children and examined the life of women in prison and that of their children.

She wrote a dissertation on the research area Swaziland (recognition of the Boers).

Her first real field research was accompanied by Malinowski . She came to Lobamba and lived with the Queen Mother. While caring for the Queen Mother and Malinowski, all three became closer.

Her original research area was magic and healing. She was a lecturer at a university in South Africa. Was a member of the liberal party and was against apartheid . She took citizenship of Swaziland . Kuper received an honorary doctorate. She was influenced by the Manchester School ( Max Gluckmann ).

Kuper and was married to a philosopher who was interested in South African law and had two children with him. She taught at the University of the Witwatersrand (1940 to 1945), at the University of Natal (1959 to 1962) and at the University of California, Los Angeles (1963 to 1978).

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