Loading AI tools
McKim Marriott (February 1, 1924 – July 3, 2024) was an American anthropologist who specialized in Indian society.
Marriott was born on February 1, 1924. He received a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1955. Marriott turned 100 in February 2024, and died five months later on July 3.[1]
His initial exposure to India came during World War II when he worked as a signals analyst. This experience sparked his interest in the country's unique social structures. Despite training as an Indologist, Marriott felt existing Western academic disciplines were inadequate for capturing the essence of Indian culture.[2]
Marriott studied villagers and urbanites of Asia and professionals of Asia, including Japan. He criticized Western categories which often present obstacles to understanding peoples, and he elaborated alternative models for studying differing cultural realities.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Marriott's work influenced generations of anthropologists, including his students who went on to become prominent scholars themselves. He was celebrated for his dedication to cultural sensitivity and his ability to bridge the gap between Western and Indian perspectives. A felicitation ceremony at the University of Chicago Smart Museum marked his 90th birthday, where colleagues and former students acknowledged his lasting influence.[9]
- 1998 The female family core explored ethnosociologically. Contributions to Indian Sociology. 32: 279-304
- 1997 A Description of SAMSARA, A Realization of Rural Hindu Life. Chicago: McKim Marriott.
- 1992 Alternative social sciences. In J. MacAloon, ed., General Education in the Social Sciences. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 262–278.
- 1991 On ‘Constructing an Indian ethnosociology’ Contributions to Indian Sociology. 25:295-308.
- 1990 (Editor) India through Hindu Categories. New Delhi/Newbury Park/London: Sage Publications.
- Review: India as a Philosophical Problem: Mckim Marriott and the Comparative Enterprise: India through Hindu Categories by McKim Marriott Review by: Edwin Gerow Journal of the American Oriental Society Vol. 120, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 2000), pp. 410–429
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
