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Salvaging a Record for Humankind: Urgent Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution, 1964-1984

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Salvaging a Record for Humankind: Urgent Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution, 1964-1984 SALVAGING A RECORD FOR HUMANKIND: URGENT ANTHROPOLOGY AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1964-1984 by Adrianna Halina Link A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland June 2016 © 2016 Adrianna Halina Link All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the development of an international research program called “urgent anthropology” organized by scientists and staff at the Smithsonian Institution from the mid-1960s until the 1980s. It shows how through the program’s expansion during this period, ideas of urgency came to hold different meanings for different groups of people and provided a useful framework for research cutting across the natural and social sciences. By situating urgent anthropology as a product of Cold War anxieties, this dissertation also considers larger questions about the potential and limitations of museums as sites for interdisciplinary research, the application of new investigative technologies (such as ethnographic film), and the shifting responsibilities and challenges facing museums and archives for preserving records of human diversity. Following in the tradition of turn-of-the-century salvage anthropology, urgent anthropology began as a project devoted to the documentation of linguistic, behavioral, and physical data from cultures perceived to be disappearing after World War II. Under the leadership of its principal organizers, Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley and his advisor on anthropology, University of Chicago anthropologist Sol Tax, this initiative grew into a multidisciplinary project that championed the integration of perspectives from the human sciences, especially anthropology, with contemporary views on environmental conservation and ecology. This collaboration could best be achieved within the Smithsonian’s museums, where researchers could more easily cross disciplinary boundaries and could apply the outcomes of their work to construct exhibits displaying a variety of social and scientific topics. In addition, the Institution’s museums provided a built-in repository where artifacts, field notes, ethnographic films, and other ii materials could be stored for future use. Through this approach, the study of human beings and their cultures became a central means of confronting some of the radical transformations of the 1960s and 1970s. Doctoral Advisor: Sharon Kingsland, PhD Thesis Committee: Robert Kargon, PhD Igor Krupnik, PhD Ronald Walters, PhD Graham Mooney, PhD iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Several individuals must be recognized for their contributions to this project. First among them is my advisor, Sharon Kingsland, whose guidance, criticism, and encouragement made this dissertation possible. She has been an invaluable source of support on both professional and personal matters throughout this process. Bob Kargon likewise fostered my abilities as a scholar and educator, and instilled in me a permanent love for world’s fairs. Ron Walters must be thanked for his early advisement and patience in helping me identify a suitable way to bridge my interests in human beings and visual culture. Graham Mooney also deserves thanks for shepherding me through my earliest graduate days and for his friendship throughout. More recently, Igor Krupnik has become a much-appreciated mentor and colleague. To each of my committee members, I extend my gratitude. Other faculty members and staff at Johns Hopkins have assisted my intellectual development. Seminars with Dan Todes proved critical for formulating early ideas and drafts of several chapters. Jane Guyer offered a helpful introduction to the history of anthropology and a window into more recent innovations in the field. Yulia Frumer, Bill Leslie, Larry Principe, Maria Portuondo, Randy Packard, Jeremy Greene, Gianna Pomata, and Nathaniel Comfort each gave helpful insights and feedback at various points during my writing process. Finally, I am forever indebted to Danielle Stout, Christine Ruggere, and Eliza Hill, who time and time again found ways to make my life a little bit easier. I cannot thank you enough! Outside of Johns Hopkins, my greatest debt is to staff and affiliates of the Smithsonian Institution. An internship at the Human Studies Film Archives in the iv summer of 2011 and a subsequent 10-week fellowship in 2012 gave me the time, energy, and resources needed to undertake the bulk of my archival research. During these terms, I was aided by the excellent team of historians and archivists working at the Smithsonian Institution Archives, National Anthropological Archives, and Human Studies Film Archives, particularly Pamela Henson, Ellen Alpers, Tad Bennicoff, Tammy Peters, Karma Foley, and Daisy Njoku. A special note of thanks must be given to Pamela Wintle, who took me on as an intern and enlightened me to the precious cinematic records held at the HSFA. These continue to be a major inspiration for my work. Several people involved directly or indirectly with the events chronicled within this dissertation graciously agreed to discuss their experiences with me. Anthropologists William Crocker and Wilton Dillon participated in oral histories and helped add texture to the rich narrative of the Institution’s history during this period. Informal conversations with Smithsonian Curators Ives Goddard and Joanna Scherer similarly provided small details absent from the archival record. Stephanie Weisbauer-Hohenwart generously sent me a collection of pamphlets and other materials from Austria related to the work of her her aunt, Anna Hohenwart-Gerlachstein, and the publication of the Bulletin of Urgent Anthropological and Ethnological Research. Richard Sorenson remains a dedicated pen pal and continued source of insight. The writing of this dissertation benefited greatly from the misadventures, late- night chats, and seminar discussions shared with my colleagues at Johns Hopkins, especially Richard Nash, Jean-Olivier Richard, Layne Karafantis, Yixian Li, Eli Anders, Julia Cummiskey, Justin Rivest, Marion Schmidt, Matt Franco, Simon Thode, Seth LeJacq Katherine Arner, Alicia Puglionesi, Pen Hardy, Todd Christopher, Kirsten v Moore-Sheeley, Emilie Raymer, Emily Margolis, James Flowers, Jon Phillips, Joanna Behrman, Ayah Nuriddin, Heidi Morefield, Sam Scharff, Al Fullerton, Nick Radburn, Jean Morrow, Hanna Roman, Loumia Ferhat, and the Wives of Wyman Park (Lauren MacDonald, Emily Mokros, Joe Clark, and Christopher Consolino). A special thank you to Sean Schifano for putting up with my bouts of insecurity and for reading (and re- reading) numerous chapter drafts and conference papers. I have been fortunate to cultivate relationships with individuals beyond Hopkins as well. To my HAN family at U Penn, particularly John Tresch, Mary Mitchell, Peter Sachs Collopy, and Rosanna Dent, thank you for taking me in and giving my life purpose while I spent several months in New Jersey. Joanna Radin, thanks for encouraging me to own my knowledge and for introducing me to many new faces and opportunities. Kate MacCord—thanks always for being my partner in crime. To my Cinnaminson friends, Brian Weitzner and Paul Huntington, I am so glad to have been able to make new memories with you while in Baltimore. To my Bryn Mawr loves, especially Hannah Schofield, Sarah Powers, Rachel Townsend, Kate Tomaskovic, and Eden McQueen, thank you for being my constant cheerleaders. To those friends I’ve only recently had the pleasure of getting to know this last year, thanks for adding some excitement and novelty to my last months in Charm City. My family proved a constant source of support and motivation, as well as a reminder of what is most important. Jeremy and Alicia, thank you for keeping me humble. Dad, thank you for listening to my ramblings and helping me to clarify and improve my writing. Finally, to my mother, who is the very embodiment of determination and strength—I dedicate this dissertation to you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………………………………........................ii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………….iv List of Figures…...………………………………………………………………………viii CHAPTER 1: Introduction: Noble Salvage?.......................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: A Rare Bird: S. Dillon Ripley and the Bridging of Anthropology and Ecology………………………………………………………………21 CHAPTER 3: Anthropology for a World in Crisis: Sol Tax and the Urgency of Action Anthropology………………………………………………………..66 CHAPTER 4: Urgency Defined: Urgent Anthropology and the Center for the Study of Man, 1965-1969…………………………………………………...…..106 CHAPTER 5: Preserving Humankind: Anthropology, Human Ecology, and the Evolution of the National Museum of Man, 1968-1984……………………….148 CHAPTER 6: Documenting Human Nature: E. Richard Sorenson and the National Anthropological Film Center, 1970-1981………………………………...209 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………268 APPENDIX 1: Smithsonian Institution, Urgent Anthropology Small Grants Program, 1966-1978……………………………………………………………………273 APPENDIX 2: Collaborative Research Film Studies of the National Human Studies Film Center (as of September 1981)…………………………………………...282 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………288 CURRICULUM VITAE………………………………………………………………..311 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1. An early example of Ripley’s anthropological photographs, as included in his published dissertation…….…………………………………..……….34 Figure 2.3. A representative page from Ripley’s 1955 article in National Geographic…….…………………………………………………………………….…...35 Figure 5.1. Photograph
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