Morton Klass
American anthropologist (1927-2001)
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Morton Klass (June 24, 1927 – April 28, 2001) was an American anthropologist known for his studies of caste and kinship in India, as well as his work on religion and culture among the Bhojpuri-speaking Indo-Caribbean population.[1]
- Barnard College (1965–)
Morton Klass | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 24, 1927 |
| Died | April 28, 2001 |
| Occupations | Anthropologist, university teacher |
| Employer |
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Klass completed his doctoral degree at Columbia University, where he later taught anthropology for many years.[2] He conducted extensive fieldwork in both India and the Caribbean, beginning with Trinidad from 1957 to 1958.[3] From 1962 to 1963, he began Indian studies at Columbia University under the direction of Conrad M. Arensberg in West Bengal.[4] With a sponsorship from the Social Science Research Council, Klass returned to India from 1972 to 1973 for a second period of study.[5]
Klass wrote widely on the anthropology of religion, contributing to understanding of ritual, belief, and religious change. He died in 2001.
Publications
- East Indians in Trinidad: A Study of Cultural Persistence (1961)
- The Kinds of Mankind: An Introduction to Race and Racism (1971)
- From Field to Factory: Community Structure and Industrialization in West Bengal (1978)
- Caste: The Emergence of the South Asian Social System (1980)
- Singing with Sai Baba: The Politics of Revitalization in Trinidad (1991)
- Ordered Universes: Approaches To The Anthropology Of Religion (1995)
- Across The Boundaries Of Belief: Contemporary Issues In The Anthropology Of Religion (1999)
- Mind Over Mind: The Anthropology and Psychology of Spirit Possession (2003), posthumous publication