Preface and Acknowledgments
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Preface and Acknowledgments IT IS NOT fortuitous that all of the contributors to a volume on the anthropology of Brazil are former students or colleagues of Charles Wagley. Of all anthropologists, he has long been the one most closely associated with that country. His former students, both in- side and outside the discipline, dominate Brazilian studies today. In spite of such preeminence with regard to a single country, Wagley's influence reaches far beyond. Throughout his career he has trained students and encouraged research for a variety of Latin Amer- ican settings. Mexico, Guatemala, Central America, the Caribbean, the Andes, and the River Plate countries all have received students and researchers that he either influenced directly or supervised. Nev- ertheless, the most appropriate focus of a volume in his honor is Brazil. Charles Wagley began his distinguished career as a student of anthropology at Columbia University, where he received both his un- dergraduate and graduate degrees. He was a member of Columbia University's anthropology faculty for over twenty-five years, becom- ing Franz Boas Professor of Anthropology in 1965. He founded the university's Institute of Latin American Studies and served as its director from 1961 to 1969. In 1971 he moved to the University of Florida as Graduate Research Professor of Anthropology and Latin American Studies. The recognition and honors given Wagley over the years are many. In 1945 he received the Cruzeiro do Sul from the Brazilian government—the highest honor accorded to foreigners—in recogni- ix PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS tion of his work in public health in Brazil during World War II. His contributions to Brazilian studies were similarly recognized in 1962 when he was awarded a Doctor Honora Causa degree from the Uni- versidade Federal da Bahia, and again, in 1964 when he received a Doctor of Laws from Notre Dame University. In 1957-1958 he was a fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He also served as president of the American Ethnological Society in 1957-1958 and as president of the American Anthropological As- sociation in 1970-1971. In addition, he has held various positions on the National Research Council, the Social Science Research Council, and the Inter-American Foundation, and he is a member of the American Philosophical Society, the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Center for Inter-American Relations. In cooperation with a handful of other outstanding scholars of his generation, Wagley helped lay the basis for the profes- sional ization of Latin American studies in the United States. He con- tributed significantly to the recognition of the importance of Latin America, and has played a key role in the development of fellowship programs for the support of training and research in that region. If area studies today continue to receive federal and foundation support, it is in no small part due to the efforts of Charles Wagley. Wagley's publications on Brazilian topics have been very well received and widely read. A glance at the references at the end of this volume will reveal the duration and scope of his interests, even though these references represent only a part of his scholarly produc- tion. Within Brazil his interests have included Indians, peasants, community studies, race relations, social structure, culture change, and applied studies. Special mention should be made of two of his most important works: Amazon Town (1953), and, most recently, Welcome of Tears (1977). These are not only excellent examples of anthropological research; they are also models of clarity in style and give ample evidence of his humanistic approach to his subjects. His collection of essays The Latin American Tradition (1968) demon- strates once again that his interests go far beyond Brazil, while his widely acclaimed An Introduction to Brazil (1971) is recognized as the introduction to Brazilian society and culture, and is required read- ing for anyone with even a passing interest in that country. PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi Those who have studied under Charles Wagley remember him most for his personal support and encouragement. At both Columbia University and the University of Florida his relationship with his students went far beyond what would be expected professionally. One of the editors of this volume (Carter) would not have been an an- thropologist had it not been for Wagley's special interest and prac- tical encouragement. At a time when Carter was only a part-time student with no financial resources and no hope of working full-time toward a doctorate, Wagley assured him that, if he made a profes- sional commitment to the discipline, financial support would be forth- coming. Needless to say, it was. Other former students of Wagley will well recall this sort of deeply personal encouragement and gener- ous support. It has been the rule rather than the exception, and it by no means ends with the student's receipt of the graduate degree. Wagley always has been concerned and has actively labored so that his students would be well placed professionally, and would continue to rise, as each merited, throughout his or her career. It is these rare qualities that most distinguish Chuck as mentor, colleague, and friend. The pages that follow are the result of the combined efforts of many people over a lengthy period of time. Contributors to the vol- ume have spent years conducting research in Brazil, and many are recognized as outstanding scholars in the fields of Brazilian ethnol- ogy, sociology, and archaeology. We thank them, first and foremost, for their generous cooperation in developing this volume. Much work is always needed even after manuscripts are re- ceived. In editing the contributions and typing the final draft we are greatly indebted to the personnel of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida. We wish to acknowledge in a very special way the patient careful efforts of Melanie Aultman, Sue Callaway, Lydia Gonzalez, Vivian Nolan, and Sarah E. Roberts in typing the various versions of the manuscripts. In addition, we would like to thank the translators of several of the papers within the vol- ume: Cecilia Roxo Wagley, Susan Poats, Darrel L. Miller, and Linda Hahn Miller. Finally, we would like to express our special thanks for the sup- port of the Tinker Foundation. Through a generous grant to Columbia xii PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS University Press, the Foundation moved the entire project from dream to reality. M.L.M. W.E.C. March 1979 .