Vera Green

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vera Mae Green (born September 6, 1928 in Chicago , Illinois , † January 16, 1982 in Princeton , New Jersey ) was an American cultural anthropologist . She became known for her research on social relationships within and between ethnic groups. She conducted research in the USA, the Caribbean , Mexico , India and Israel . She was particularly interested in the family structures of African American communities in the United States.

life and work

Vera Green graduated from a state school in Chicago. A scholarship enabled her to study at Roosevelt University . There she received her bachelor's degree in sociology in 1952 and her master's degree in anthropology from Columbia University in 1955 . During her studies, she worked for various state welfare institutions, as she was convinced that social problems should not only be studied, but also specifically addressed. After completing her master's degree, she worked for UNESCO's educational and development programs in Mexico. She also worked in deprived urban areas in India and Puerto Rico . She acquired good language skills in all of her places of work and ended up speaking fluent Spanish , French , Urdu , Tamil , Dutch , German and Papiamentu .

After returning to the USA, Green studied at the University of Arizona . In 1969 she obtained her Ph.D. in anthropology for her work on ethnic relations in Aruba . That same year, Green began teaching at the University of Iowa . From 1969 to 1972 she taught at the University of Houston . She then moved to New Brunswick , where she taught at Rutgers University until shortly before her death .

From the beginning, Green took unusual paths in her research: The Netherlands Antilles were not the focus of US science at the time, and Green was the first African-American anthropologist to conduct research in the Caribbean. She made a significant contribution to developing a methodology for anthropology that does not regard blacks as subordinate research subjects, but rather treats them as equals. She pointed out that the African-American population was often mistakenly viewed as a homogeneous group in anthropology, and encouraged a more nuanced view of cultural, social, and economic diversity within this population group.

In her later career, Green turned to the study of human rights . She criticized the USA for propagating human rights, but insufficiently advocating their global implementation.

Vera Green has served in the American Anthropological Association , the Mid-Atlantic Council for Latin-American Studies, and the Quaker Anthropologists . From 1977 to 1979 she was the first female president of the newly formed Association of Black Anthropologists . In 1980 the association gave her the Service Award for outstanding contributions to anthropology.

Vera Green died of cancer in 1982. Since she was unmarried and had no children, she had all of her possessions auctioned in order to use the proceeds to finance scholarships for black and Puerto Rican students.

Fonts (selection)

  • Aspects of Interethnic Integration in Aruba, Netherlands Antilles , 1969 (dissertation).
  • Migrants in Aruba. Interethnic integration. Van Gorcum, Assen 1974.
  • Methodological Problems Involved in the Study of the Aruban Family. 1975.
  • The Confrontation of Diversity within the Black Community. In: Human Organization , Vol. 29, No. 4, 1970, pp. 267-272.
  • The Black Extended Family in the United States. Some research suggestions. In: Demitri B. Shimkin, Edith M. Shimkin, Dennis A. Frate (Eds.): The Extended Family in Black Societies. Mouton, The Hague 1978.
  • Jack L. Nelson, Vera M. Green: International Human Rights. Contemporary Perspectives. Human Rights Publication Group, Standfordville 1980.

literature

  • A. Lynn Bolles and Yolanda T. Moses: Vera Mae Green, 1928–1982. In: Ute Gacs, Aisha Khan, Jerrie McIntyre, Ruth Weinberg (Eds.): Women Anthropologists. Selected Biographies. University of Illinois Press, Urbana 1989, ISBN 978-0-2520-6084-7 , pp. 127-132.
  • Johnnetta B. Cole: Vera Mae Green, 1928-1982. In: American anthropologist, Volume 84, 1982, pp. 633-635.
  • Ira E. Harrison: The Association of Black Anthropologists. A brief history . In: Anthropology Today. Volume 3, No. 1, 1987, pp. 17-21.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Green, Vera
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Green, Vera Mae (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American anthropologist
DATE OF BIRTH September 6, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago
DATE OF DEATH January 16, 1982
Place of death Princeton, New Jersey