Historical Development Anthropology Blog

 Chiara Abel 

IHSS 

Mr. Roddy 

September 9, 2021 


Ruth Benedict


Ruth Benedict was born on June 5, 1887, in New York. She is most famous for her profound influence on anthropology, particularly the studies of culture and personality. At the beginning of her career, Ruth taught at an all-girls school in California. After moving back to New York she was without a job for a while, so instead she enrolled at New School for Social Research. While at this school she was influenced by Elsie Clews Parson and Alexander Goldweiser. This helped lead her to study anthropology under Franz Boas while attending Columbia University. In 1923 she was able to receive her Ph.D from Columbia University. A year later she became a teacher at Columbia. Ruth Benedict has written a few books, some of which are Tales of the Cochiti Indians, Zuñi mythology, Patterns and Culture, and Race: Science and Politics. At one point she also edited The Journal of American Folklore. In one of her books she argues that it is the “personality” of complex traits and attitudes coming from one's culture that helps to define an individual's successes, misfits, or outcasts. She also refuted racist theory. Later, in 1947 Ruth Benedict became the president of the American Anthropological Association and at the time she was known as the outstanding Anthropologist in the United States. 


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