- Germaine Dieterlen
Germaine Dieterlen (1903-1999) was a French
anthropologist . She was a student ofMarcel Mauss and wrote on a large range ofethnographic topics and made pioneering contributions to the study of myths,initiation s, techniques (particularly "descriptive ethnography "), graphic systems, objects, classifications,ritual andsocial structure .She is most noted for her work among the
Dogon and theBambara ofMali , having lived with them for over twenty years, often in collaboration with noted French anthropologistMarcel Griaule (1898-1956).Themes
Some of the main themes in her work concentrate on the notions of
sacred kingship , the position of thefirst born , relationships between maternal uncles and nephews,division of labor ,marriage , and the status of therainmaker in Dogon society. Because each episode of the rite is enacted only once every sixty years, Dieterlen's documentation of thesigui cycle allowed the Dogon themselves to see and interpret the entire sequence of rites which they had heretofore only observed in part.Research
Dieterlen began her ethnographic research in
Bandiagara , Mali in 1941. Perhaps most controversially, Dieterlen was criticized by her peers for her publications with Griaule on Dogonastronomy , which professed an ancient knowledge of the existence of a dwarfwhite star ,Sirius B also called theDog Star , invisible to the naked eye. This ancient indigenous knowledge (theNommo ) and the supposition that extraterrestrials might have been in contact with the Dogon was popularized byRobert K. G. Temple in his book "The Sirius Mystery" (1976) andTom Robbins "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas" (1995). Dutch anthropologistW.E.A. van Beek , who spent seven years with the Dogon, seriously critiqued the research methods of Griaule and Dieterlen, suggesting, based on a conceived scenario presented by Brecher and Sagan, that they relied heavily on one primary informant who may have been influenced by the teachings of aJesuit missionary who may have lived in the region prior to their arrival ("Dogon Restudied" [1991] ). He accuses Griaule of misinterpreting and influencing results. [Walter E. A. van Beek: "Dogon Restudied: A Field Evaluation of the Work of Marcel Griaule." "Current Anthropology", 32 (1991): 139-167.] However, daughter and colleague of Marcel Griaule, Genevieve Calame-Griaule, came to defend the project, dismissing van Beek's criticism as misguided speculation and being rooted in an apparent ignorance of esoteric tradition. [ Genevieve Calame-Griaule: "On the Dogon Restudied." Current Anthropology, Vol. 32, No. 5 (Dec., 1991), pp. 575-577] In addition, skeptic and space journalist,James Oberg in his investigation of the Dogon mystery, found no substantial evidence that would indicate outside influence, and sees such proposed scenarios as being "entirely circumstantial". [James Oberg, " [http://www.debunker.com/texts/dogon.html Chapter 6, The Sirius Mystery] ", in "UFOs and Outer Space Mysteries", (1982) Donning Press]Academic career
Dieterlen also served as a Director of Studies at Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes at the Sorbonne in
Paris , a founding member of theCentre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS] , and a President of the Committee on Ethnographic Film (founded byJean Rouch ). An "hommage" collection published in 1978 (Systèmes de signes: Textes réunis en hommage à Germaine Dieterlen) included essays byMeyer Fortes andClaude Lévi-Strauss . Dieterlen also worked with notedethnographic filmmaker Jean Rouch.Mary Douglas also reviewed the contributions made by Dieterlen to French anthropology in "Dogon Culture - Profane and Arcane" (1968) and "If the Dogon . . ." (1975).ee also
*
Dogon people
*Marcel Griaule External links
* [http://ufoinfo.com/news/dieterlen.html Obituary]
References
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