#sydel silverman

[everydayanth]

Sydel Silverman, 85, Dies; Defended Anthropology in Academia

As a scholar, teacher and historian at the City University of New York, she was an ardent preservationist and an inclusive ethnographer.

❤️❤️❤️

Dr. Silverman defined her field as “that combination of science and art in which the details of daily life are systematically observed, analyzed and constructed into a cultural account.

“Every account is shaped not only by the common anthropological enterprise,” she continued, “but also by the ethnographer’s personal attributes, training and interests, and by the time, place and circumstances of the field work.”

[accuratepicuresofanthropologists]

Here are two more pictures of Sydel Silverman, from a long and worthwhile interview with her in Current anthropology. In the bottom picture, seated, is Eric Wolf. 

[everydayanth]

Sydel Silverman and Her Quest to Preserve Anthropological Records

"For anthropology, the unpublished records of the past are of more than historical interest.... They constitute primary data of all research."

In "Preserving the Anthropological Record," an article written about the conference for the February 1993 issue of Current Anthropology, Silverman described the Resolution on Preserving Anthropological Records that the conference adopted. The resolution stated that "anthropologists have a professional responsibility to serve as stewards" of their "unpublished anthropological materials" because they are "irreplaceable" and "unique resources" that are "essential for future research and education." Anthropological records contain cultural information that is valuable to many different parties: the anthropologist who gathered the data, the informants who supplied the anthropologist with that data, other members of the informants' community, or those who wish to study that community.

[accuratepicuresofanthropologists]

One more picture of Sydel Silverman. It appears in several places, including this workshop on archives. CUNY has two remembrances of her as well. There is also an obituary at Anthropology News as well. It has a picture of her as well that I didn’t post here. Between all of these sources it wouldn’t be very hard for someone to put together a chapter or short paper on her influence in anthropology -- such a work would be very appreciated!

[accuratepicuresofanthropologists]

Sydel Silverman passed away in March. I noted it then but here are some more images and links. This one is from her New York Times obituary

[accuratepicuresofanthropologists]

Vale Sydel Silverman, supporter and unofficial memory bank of anthropology. Via the Wenner-Gren Blog