An edition of Matilda Coxe Stevenson (2007)
Matilda Coxe Stevenson
Pioneering Anthropologist
By Darlis A. Miller
Publish Date
November 30, 2007
Publisher
University of Oklahoma Press
Language
eng
Pages
298
Description:
"The first woman anthropologist to work in the Southwest, Matilda Coxe Stevenson (1849-1915) helped define the contours of anthropological research at the turn of the twentieth century. In this first book-length biography of Stevenson, Darlis A. Miller challenges older interpretations of her subject's life and work as she traces one woman's quest for professional recognition in the face of social constraints." "Stevenson worked for more than a quarter century with the Bureau of American Ethnology and was the only professional woman to hold a full-time position there. When refused admission to the all-male Anthropological Society of Washington, she organized the Women's Anthropological Society. Despite the obstacles posed by gender bias, she earned recognition for her pioneering ethnographies of the Zia and Zuni Indians - and for a manuscript on the Tewa that mysteriously disappeared.^ Miller discloses the close relations Stevenson developed with her Indian consultants, especially Zuni priests, and the importance of her Tewa work." "Miller also examines Stevenson's field techniques in the context of the anthropology of her day, as well as the personal traits that contributed to her professional success but caused some colleagues to focus more on her personality than her accomplishment. Along the way, Miller debunks many of the anecdotal tales about Stevenson promulgated by male colleagues who seemed to delight in pointing out perceived flaws in her character. She also offers previously little-known details regarding the legal battles of Stevenson's later years." "Few of the many male southwestern anthropologists who have been subjects of biographies were as involved in the field for as long. And as Miller shows, Stevenson's work fostered a better understanding of Pueblo cultures and helped to undermine racial stereotypes.^ This book gives her due recognition, lending compelling insight into a remarkable career while offering new views of the earliest field studies of Puebloan peoples."--BOOK JACKET.