Rosemary Firth
Encyclopedia
Rosemary, Lady Firth was a British social anthropologist, and wife of Sir Raymond Firth
. She specialised in the field of domestic economy.
Rosemary Firth (née Upcott) was born in 1912. Her father was a distinguished official in the Treasury
. She took a Political Economy degree (MA) in Edinburgh
in 1935, and then moved to London
. She married Raymond Firth in 1936, and accompanied him to Malaya
to undertake fieldwork in 1939-1940. She focussed on the domestic economy of the female villagers, resulting in the publication of Housekeeping among Malay Peasants in 1943.
She worked as a lecturer in health education at the University of London Institute of Education
for many years, whilst continuing her anthropological research interests.
Her son Hugh was born in 1946. When her husband was knighted in 1973, Rosemary Firth took the title Lady Firth. She died in 2001. Following her death, Sir Raymond established The Rosemary and Raymond Firth Award in the Department of Anthropology at the London School of Economics
. This award has the specific aim of promoting Rosemary’s interest in 'the anthropology of household management and the organisation of domestic affairs'.
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...
. She specialised in the field of domestic economy.
Life
Rosemary Firth (née Upcott) was born in 1912. Her father was a distinguished official in the Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
. She took a Political Economy degree (MA) in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1935, and then moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She married Raymond Firth in 1936, and accompanied him to Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
to undertake fieldwork in 1939-1940. She focussed on the domestic economy of the female villagers, resulting in the publication of Housekeeping among Malay Peasants in 1943.
She worked as a lecturer in health education at the University of London Institute of Education
Institute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
for many years, whilst continuing her anthropological research interests.
Her son Hugh was born in 1946. When her husband was knighted in 1973, Rosemary Firth took the title Lady Firth. She died in 2001. Following her death, Sir Raymond established The Rosemary and Raymond Firth Award in the Department of Anthropology at 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...
. This award has the specific aim of promoting Rosemary’s interest in 'the anthropology of household management and the organisation of domestic affairs'.
Selected bibliography
- Housekeeping among Malay Peasants (1943)
- 'From Wife to Anthropologist' in Crossing Cultural Boundaries: The Anthropological Experience (eds) Solon Kimball and James B Watson San Francisco: Chandler, 10-32 (1972)
- 'The Best Circle: Society, Etiquette and the Season' Sociology 8(2):339-340 (1974)
- 'Anthropologists in the Lions' Den?' Current Anthropology 17(4):770-771 (1976)
- 'Cooking in a Kelantan Fishing Village, Malaya' in The Anthropologist’s Cookbook (ed) Jessica Kuper New York: Universe (1977)
- 'Mad Dogs, Englishmen and the Errant Anthropologist: Field Work in Malaysia' Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 3(4):795-796 (1997)
Other sources
- Hardiman, Margaret, 'A memory of Rosemary Firth' Anthropology Today 18(1):23 (2002)