Women Anthropologists: A Biographical Dictionary

A welcome resource and reference biographical dictionary that took five years to produce and is aimed at both graduate and undergraduate students in anthropology, history, and sociology. Each chapter is a brief autobiography that portrays the professional and personal lives—the triumphs and tribulations—of the brave, committed, first- and second-generation pioneers. . . . Well organized with useful appendixes, indexes, and references. Choice

These concise biographies of a wide and interesting sample of women anthropologists make a valuable addition to the growing field of history of anthropology. As the editors point out, the careers of these women illuminate, usually by contrast, the factors that shaped the discipline of anthropology in its first century. The editors also note that these women's careers show far more ‘applied' and ‘popular' work than characterizes the careers of most prominent men anthropologists, and this difference calls into question the values implicit in much mainstream anthropology, implicit values often at odds with professed values.
Alice B. Kehoe, Marquette University