Sherry Ortner, professor of anthropology at Columbia University, will deliver the first lecture in what will become an annual distinguished lecture series in anthropology and sociology. The series is being inaugurated to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of anthropological study at Mount Holyoke.
According to MHC anthropology professor Debbora Battaglia, Ortner is one of the major cultural theorists currently writing in this field. "She is a pioneer in the study of women in culture and society, and an influential ethnographer of Nepal's Sherpa people," Battaglia says.
In her March 25 MHC talk, Ortner will discuss recent field work research on the relationship between class, race/ethnicity, gender, and "American culture" in Newark, New Jersey, high school classrooms. (See calendar section of CSJ for details.)
In future years, the series will be funded by the Mellon Foundation, and speakers will alternate between anthropologists and sociologists.
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