Phyllis Kaberry
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Mary Kaberry was a social anthropologist who dedicated her work to the study of women in various societies. Particularly with her work in both Australia
and Africa
, she paved the way for a feminist approach
in anthropological studies. Her research on the sacred life and significant role of the Aboriginal
women of Australia proved to be a controversial topic, as anthropology during her years of early fieldwork was male-dominated, filled with the misconceptions that men were the superior in any aspect of life. Contributing proof of women’s significance to societal development and organization, Kaberry can be defined as an influential and significant anthropologist.
. Her parents were British immigrants, originally from Yorkshire
. They emigrated not long before Kaberry’s birth. Both were Christian Scientists; her father an architect. In 1913, Kaberry, her parents and two brothers moved to New South Wales
, Australia, and eventually to Sydney. Kaberry attended the Fort Street Girls' High School and in 1930 entered the University of Sydney
where she would remain until obtaining her master’s degree.
was the first university in Australia to teach anthropology
. The university was once an academic home to anthropologists such as A.P. Elkin, Raymond Firth
, Ian Hogbin
, A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, and Camilla Wedgwood
. Kaberry studied under A.P. Elkin, a firm believer that female anthropologists were able to give a unique and beneficial perspective of women in various societies – a subject neglected during this time.
During her first years as a graduate student, Kaberry took an interest in New Guinea
. Her master's thesis was the result of this interest, and was a survey of the effects of government policies on native conditions. Such an issue would also be seen in her later work in Australia and Africa. She would later renew her Melanesian interests after 1939 when she traveled to New Guinea
to study the social organization among the Abelam
people of the Sepik District. She became curious in Melanesian diet, specifically the central role yam
s played. Unfortunately, the effects of World War II shortened her stay.
in order to study the Aborigines. Elkin was a large advocate for the humane treatment and preservation of the native Australian populations – his views driven by his awareness of poor living conditions, maltreatment, and the gradual erasing of their traditional beliefs and values. Following Elkin’s advice, Kaberry traveled to the Kimberely region. Like what many anthropologists face in the field, Kaberry dealt with difficult conditions, all of which she embraced. Conducting research among cattle and mission stations, she encountered language barriers and constant resettlement due to seasonal migrations – hence a mobile lifestyle.
Adopting a participant observation
approach, Kaberry shifted between multiple groups of people, becoming deeply involved with the daily lifestyles of the women. Often needing a translator, she chose the most outspoken woman of each group to assist her with translation as well as a way to entice other women into speaking about private aspects of Aboriginal female life. Much of her work was dependent on the two distinct seasons. During the dry season
, Kaberry resided in the cattle and mission stations collecting genealogies by interviewing women from various camps. Kaberry questioned the accuracy of her research of Aboriginal tradition during the dry season. This was because the lifestyle within the cattle and mission stations established by non-natives was altered by European contact. She found that Aboriginal traditional life was more prominent in the wet season
. Kaberry witnessed traditional ceremonies and real customs – an opportunity to see “native life” as it once was. Over the roughly three years that she studied the Aborigines society of the Kimberely region, she focused on kinship
, religion
, the economic and social organization of women, as well as the influence of European contact.
After returning from the field, she enrolled in the London School of Economics
after receiving a scholarship. In 1938, she received her PhD in anthropology, and one year later published Aboriginal Woman Sacred and Profane. This book had a quiet but strong impact on women studies in the field of anthropology. At the time of publication, anthropology was widely male dominated, and thus her book received great amounts of criticism for suggesting that women were equal to that of men and possessed their own value of sacredness. Women at this time were seen as “domesticated cows” and erotic beings thought to have little influence in cultural development, devoid of a sacred life with their institutions defined as inferior to those of males. Although he was interested in obtaining information on the lives of women in native societies, even Kaberry’s mentor, Elkin, exhibited views that agreed with the common belief of women inferiority. Aboriginal Woman Sacred and Profane disputed these ideas:
Kaberry recorded sacred ceremonies among women and exhibited the integral part they play within society. Her book was one of three focusing on the Aborigines of Australia by anthropologists during the 1930s, as well as one of few that described native women worldwide. No doubt, she set the scene for future women studies, a field that was strongly neglected until women’s movements later in the century.
to present lectures on her research in Australia and Melanesia. There she met with Bronisław Malinowski once again, her mentor at the London School of Economics. Kaberry and Malinowski shared an interest in culture contact and its consequences. Both agreed to write a book together on the subject, however Malinowski died before it was finished. With his notes in hand, Kaberry completed the project in 1945, entitled The Dynamics of Cultural Change. Kaberry had much admiration for Malinowski, and later dedicated Aboriginal Woman Sacred and Profane to him. As stated in her book:
Almost twenty years later she wrote “A Glimpse of Malinowski in Retrospect” for the Journal of the Anthropological Society in Oxford.
region of Cameroon
. The Council questioned the low development and malnutrition in this colonized region and requested Kaberry’s anthropological services. Funded by the British government, Kaberry traveled to Bamenda, living among the Nso
’ ¹. Here, she formed close relationships with those that she worked with. The Nso’ highly valued her friendship and the issues she helped to resolve within their community. In 1946, the loss of land was becoming a reality to the Nso’ due to colonial policies. Kaberry voiced her concerns to the British, in which the problem was eventually resolved. Relieved and grateful, the Nso’ made Kaberry a Queen Mother
– a title Kaberry cherished greatly.
Kaberry spent close to a total of forty-six months in Bamenda between 1945 and 1963. In 1952 she wrote Women of the Grasslands, describing the economic position of Nso’ women. This publication did not receive as much criticism as her former book, but was yet another important movement towards a feminist approach in the field of anthropology.
For the latter part of her academic career, Kaberry taught at University College London as a lecturer and later as a reader. One year after her retirement, she died of accidental alcohol poisoning in her London home at sixty-seven years old. Informed of Kaberry’s death, the Nso’ community she had worked with throughout the years performed a mourning ceremony in her honor, and ten years later founded the Kaberry Research Centre within their region. At Oxford University, the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research on Women hosts a memorial lecture every three years, honoring her contributions to women’s studies.
, and author of Phyllis Kaberry and Me.
Other resources:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, she paved the way for a feminist approach
Feminist anthropology
Feminist anthropology is an approach to studying cultural anthropology that aims to correct for a perceived androcentric bias within anthropology...
in anthropological studies. Her research on the sacred life and significant role of the Aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
women of Australia proved to be a controversial topic, as anthropology during her years of early fieldwork was male-dominated, filled with the misconceptions that men were the superior in any aspect of life. Contributing proof of women’s significance to societal development and organization, Kaberry can be defined as an influential and significant anthropologist.
Early life
Kaberry was born in San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Her parents were British immigrants, originally from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. They emigrated not long before Kaberry’s birth. Both were Christian Scientists; her father an architect. In 1913, Kaberry, her parents and two brothers moved to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia, and eventually to Sydney. Kaberry attended the Fort Street Girls' High School and in 1930 entered the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
where she would remain until obtaining her master’s degree.
Education
- 1933: BABachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English and philosophy; also emphasis on Latin and history – University of Sydney - 1934: MAMaster of Arts (postgraduate)A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in anthropology, University of Sydney - 1938: PhDDoctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in anthropology, London School of EconomicsLondon School of EconomicsThe London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
Academic career
The University of SydneyUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
was the first university in Australia to teach anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. The university was once an academic home to anthropologists such as A.P. Elkin, Raymond Firth
Raymond Firth
Sir Raymond William Firth, CNZM, FBA, was an ethnologist from New Zealand. As a result of Firth's ethnographic work, actual behaviour of societies is separated from the idealized rules of behaviour within the particular society...
, Ian Hogbin
Ian Hogbin
Herbert Ian Priestly Hogbin was a British-born Australian anthropologist. He conducted field work in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea....
, A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, and Camilla Wedgwood
Camilla Wedgwood
The Hon. Camilla Hildegarde Wedgwood was a British anthropologist best known for research in the Pacific and her pioneering role as one of the British Commonwealth's first female anthropologists.- Biography :...
. Kaberry studied under A.P. Elkin, a firm believer that female anthropologists were able to give a unique and beneficial perspective of women in various societies – a subject neglected during this time.
During her first years as a graduate student, Kaberry took an interest in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. Her master's thesis was the result of this interest, and was a survey of the effects of government policies on native conditions. Such an issue would also be seen in her later work in Australia and Africa. She would later renew her Melanesian interests after 1939 when she traveled to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
to study the social organization among the Abelam
Abelam
The Abelam are a people who live in the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. They are a farming society in which giant yams form a significant role. They live in the Prince Alexander mountains near the north coast of the island. Their language belongs to the Sepik family.-Farming and...
people of the Sepik District. She became curious in Melanesian diet, specifically the central role yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
s played. Unfortunately, the effects of World War II shortened her stay.
Research in Kimberley region of Western Australia
After completing her master’s degree in anthropology, Kaberry received a grant from the Australian National Research Council (ANRC) to conduct research within the country. Her advisor, Elkin, suggested her fieldwork reside in the Kimberley region of Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in order to study the Aborigines. Elkin was a large advocate for the humane treatment and preservation of the native Australian populations – his views driven by his awareness of poor living conditions, maltreatment, and the gradual erasing of their traditional beliefs and values. Following Elkin’s advice, Kaberry traveled to the Kimberely region. Like what many anthropologists face in the field, Kaberry dealt with difficult conditions, all of which she embraced. Conducting research among cattle and mission stations, she encountered language barriers and constant resettlement due to seasonal migrations – hence a mobile lifestyle.
Adopting a participant observation
Participant observation
Participant observation is a type of research strategy. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly, cultural anthropology, but also sociology, communication studies, and social psychology...
approach, Kaberry shifted between multiple groups of people, becoming deeply involved with the daily lifestyles of the women. Often needing a translator, she chose the most outspoken woman of each group to assist her with translation as well as a way to entice other women into speaking about private aspects of Aboriginal female life. Much of her work was dependent on the two distinct seasons. During the dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
, Kaberry resided in the cattle and mission stations collecting genealogies by interviewing women from various camps. Kaberry questioned the accuracy of her research of Aboriginal tradition during the dry season. This was because the lifestyle within the cattle and mission stations established by non-natives was altered by European contact. She found that Aboriginal traditional life was more prominent in the wet season
Wet season
The the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...
. Kaberry witnessed traditional ceremonies and real customs – an opportunity to see “native life” as it once was. Over the roughly three years that she studied the Aborigines society of the Kimberely region, she focused on kinship
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, the economic and social organization of women, as well as the influence of European contact.
After returning from the field, she enrolled in the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
after receiving a scholarship. In 1938, she received her PhD in anthropology, and one year later published Aboriginal Woman Sacred and Profane. This book had a quiet but strong impact on women studies in the field of anthropology. At the time of publication, anthropology was widely male dominated, and thus her book received great amounts of criticism for suggesting that women were equal to that of men and possessed their own value of sacredness. Women at this time were seen as “domesticated cows” and erotic beings thought to have little influence in cultural development, devoid of a sacred life with their institutions defined as inferior to those of males. Although he was interested in obtaining information on the lives of women in native societies, even Kaberry’s mentor, Elkin, exhibited views that agreed with the common belief of women inferiority. Aboriginal Woman Sacred and Profane disputed these ideas:
Until recently, aboriginal woman has occupied rather an obscure place in Australian anthropology; and in popular imagination, at least, she has too often been lost to view beneath the burdens imposed upon her by her menfolk. There has been little attempt to analyze the extent to which she participates in religion, the nature and importance of her contribution to the tribal economy. It was with the object of making a more specific study of the position of women in an aboriginal community, that at the suggestion of Professor Elkin, I carried out research in North-West Australia […] In its original form my material was presented as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics in 1938; but since then it has been revised and abridged and the title changed to one that sums up my attempt to portray aboriginal woman as she really is – a complex social personality, having her own prerogatives, duties, problems, beliefs, rituals, and point of view; making the adjustments that the social, local, and totemic organization require of her, and at the same time exercising a certain freedom of choice in matters affecting her own interests and desires […] Nevertheless they possess totems, have spiritual affiliations with the sacred past, and perform their own sacred rites from which the men are excluded […] we have no grounds for assuming on the data now available, that the men represent the sacred element in the community and the women the profane element. (p. xix -xxii)
Kaberry recorded sacred ceremonies among women and exhibited the integral part they play within society. Her book was one of three focusing on the Aborigines of Australia by anthropologists during the 1930s, as well as one of few that described native women worldwide. No doubt, she set the scene for future women studies, a field that was strongly neglected until women’s movements later in the century.
Malinowski and culture contact consequences
Awarded the Yale Stirling Fellowship, Kaberry went to Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
to present lectures on her research in Australia and Melanesia. There she met with Bronisław Malinowski once again, her mentor at the London School of Economics. Kaberry and Malinowski shared an interest in culture contact and its consequences. Both agreed to write a book together on the subject, however Malinowski died before it was finished. With his notes in hand, Kaberry completed the project in 1945, entitled The Dynamics of Cultural Change. Kaberry had much admiration for Malinowski, and later dedicated Aboriginal Woman Sacred and Profane to him. As stated in her book:
I have dedicated this book to Professor Malinowski in acknowledgment of my debt to him as an anthropologist, as one who, without sacrificing scientific objectivity and integrity to fact, has been able to approach the study of culture and civilization with the imagination and sensitiveness of an artist. (p. xxv)
Almost twenty years later she wrote “A Glimpse of Malinowski in Retrospect” for the Journal of the Anthropological Society in Oxford.
Research in Bamenda region of Cameroon
Kaberry moved back to London, and eventually received a request from the Colonial Social Science Research Council to do research in the BamendaBamenda
Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the North West Province. The city had a population of 269,530 at the 2005 Census, and is located 366 km north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé...
region of Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
. The Council questioned the low development and malnutrition in this colonized region and requested Kaberry’s anthropological services. Funded by the British government, Kaberry traveled to Bamenda, living among the Nso
Nso
The Nso are a people of the Bamenda Grassfields in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. Their traditional language is Lamnso and their capital is Kumbo...
’ ¹. Here, she formed close relationships with those that she worked with. The Nso’ highly valued her friendship and the issues she helped to resolve within their community. In 1946, the loss of land was becoming a reality to the Nso’ due to colonial policies. Kaberry voiced her concerns to the British, in which the problem was eventually resolved. Relieved and grateful, the Nso’ made Kaberry a Queen Mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
– a title Kaberry cherished greatly.
Kaberry spent close to a total of forty-six months in Bamenda between 1945 and 1963. In 1952 she wrote Women of the Grasslands, describing the economic position of Nso’ women. This publication did not receive as much criticism as her former book, but was yet another important movement towards a feminist approach in the field of anthropology.
For the latter part of her academic career, Kaberry taught at University College London as a lecturer and later as a reader. One year after her retirement, she died of accidental alcohol poisoning in her London home at sixty-seven years old. Informed of Kaberry’s death, the Nso’ community she had worked with throughout the years performed a mourning ceremony in her honor, and ten years later founded the Kaberry Research Centre within their region. At Oxford University, the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research on Women hosts a memorial lecture every three years, honoring her contributions to women’s studies.
Contributions
Phyllis Mary Kaberry was a pioneer for the study of women in the field of anthropology. For her to overcome the constant criticisms of her work was a battle within academia. Her passion and dedication towards erasing the misconceptions of the value of women within different societies has greatly benefited the future of the anthropological field of study. Kaberry recognized women’s significant contributions within their communities, proving that they are not confined to the shadow of men. Her work has influenced future generations of anthropologists, including Sandy Toussaint of the University of Western AustraliaUniversity of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, and author of Phyllis Kaberry and Me.
Awards & Fellowships
- Yale Stirling Fellowship
- Carnegie Fellowship
- Rivers Memorial Medal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
- Wellcome Medal in Applied Anthropology
Footnotes
¹ The Nso’ of Cameroon are also known as the Nsaw. In Kaberry’s book Women of the Grasslands, she refers to them as Nsaw.External links
Biographical Information:- AIM25: Kaberry, Phyllis Mary, 1910-1977, anthropologist
- Obituary: Phyllis Kaberry 1910-1977
- Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition: Kaberry, Phyllis Mary (1910-1977)
- E Museum @ Minnesota State University, Mankato – Phyllis Kaberry 1910-1977
Other resources: