National Anthropological Archives

Guide to the Abraham Rosman and Paula G. Rubel papers, 1956-2004

Summary
Collection ID:
NAA.2018-02
Creators:
Rosman, Abraham
Rubel, Paula
Dates:
1956-2004
Languages:
Collection is primarily in
English
. Some materials are in
Farsi
,
Kanuri
, and
Russian
.
Physical Description:
10.5 Linear feet
24 boxes, 1 folder
Repository:
Abraham Rosman and Paula G. Rubel were professors of anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University. The collection consists of materials documenting their research, writing, and teaching, and reflects their interests in ritualized exchange systems, kinship, social organization, and material culture.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of materials documenting Rosman and Rubel's research, writing, and teaching, and reflects their interests in ritualized exchange systems, kinship, social organization, and material culture. The bulk of the collection documents their fieldwork and research among the Kanuri of Nigeria, Kalmyk Mongols in New Jersey, Northwest Coast and Athabaskan societies, pastoral nomads of Iran and Afghanistan, peoples of New Guinea and New Ireland, as well as research on art, ethnographic objects, museums, and collecting. The collection includes field notes, historical and archival research and notes, bibliographies, correspondence, writings, maps, photographs, and sound recordings.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three series: (1) Fieldwork and research, 1952-2004; (2) Conference papers, 1970-1995; and (3) Teaching, circa 1980-circa 1990.
Biographical Note
Biographical Note
Abraham Rosman was born in New York City in 1930. He earned his BA in anthropology from City College (1959) and PhD in anthropology from Yale (1962). His dissertation "Social Structure and Acculturation among the Kanuri of Northern Nigeria" was based on fieldwork conducted in 1956-1957. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Columbia University in 1962. He was a full professor at Barnard College from 1972 until his retirement in 1998.
Paula G. Rubel was born in The Bronx, New York in 1933. She earned her BA in psychology from Hunter College (1953) and her PhD in anthropology from Columbia University (1963). Her dissertation was based on fieldwork among an immigrant community of Russian Kalmyk Mongols in New Jersey. She was part of the faculty of Barnard College from 1965 until her retirement in 1989, becoming a full professor in 1974.
Rosman and Rubel were married 1971. They worked together throughout their careers, focusing their research on comparative studies and structural analysis of ritual exchange, kinship relations, power, social hierarchies, religion, and material culture. They studied kinship and exchange along the Pacific Northwest Coast, among pastoral groups in Iran and Afghanistan, and in New Guinea and New Ireland. They also studied ethnographic objects, tribal art, and the social world of museums, collectors, and dealers. Their partnership was collaborative, alternating first authorship with each publication. They were the authors of numerous monographs including Feasting with Mine Enemy: Rank and Exchange among Northwest Coast Societies (1971), Your Own Pigs You May Not Eat: A Comparative Study of New Guinea Societies (1978), The Tapestry of Culture: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (1981), and Collecting Tribal Art: How Northwest Coast Masks and Eastern Island Lizard Men Became Art (2012).
Rubel died in 2018 and Rosman died in 2020. Their final book, Aliens on Our Shores: An Anthropological History of New Ireland Papua New Guinea 1616-1914, was published posthumously in 2021.
Sources Consulted
Sharp, Lesley A. "Paula G. Rubel (1922-2018)." American Anthropologist. 121.2 (2019): 540-542.
Sharp, Lesley A. and Maxine Weisgrau. "Abraham Rosman (1930-2020)." American Anthropologist. 123.1 (2020): 205-207.
Abraham Rosman
1930
Born in New York City
1951
Marries Bernice Lieberman
1952
BA in anthropology from City College
1962
PhD in anthropology from Yale University
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University
1966
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Barnard college, Columbia University
1971
Divorces Bernice Rosman
Marries Paula G. Rubel
1972
Professor of Anthropology, Barnard College, Columbia University
1998
Retires
2020
Dies
Paula G. Rubel
1933
Born Paula Glicksman in The Bronx, New York
1953
BA in pyschology from Hunter College
1954
Marries Hewitt Rubel
1963
PhD in anthropology from Columbia University
1965
Lecturer, Barnard College, Columbia University
1966
Assistant Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University
1971
Divorces Hewitt Rubel
Marries Abraham Rosman
1974
Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University
1998
Retires
2012-2014
President, Association of Senior Anthropologists
2018
Dies
Administration
Author
Gabrielle Sanchez
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Abraham Rosman in 2019.
Processing Information
Original file order, titles, and spellings have been maintained when possible. Some files have been consolidated to simplify arrangement and remove duplicates.
Processed and encoded by Gabrielle Sanchez, September 2022.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
The Abraham Rosman and Paula G. Rubel papers are open for research.
Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Please contact the archives for information on availability of access copies of audiovisual recordings.
Digital media in the collection is restricted for preservation reasons.
Access to the Abraham Rosman and Paula G. Rubel papers requires an appointment.
Preferred Citation
Abraham Rosman and Paula G. Rubel papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
More Information
Bibliography
Bibliography
Rubel, Paula G. 1967. The Kalmyk Mongols: A Study in Continuity and Change. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
1971. Feasting with Mine Enemy: Rank and Exchange among Northwest Coast Societies. New York: Columbia University Press.
1981. The Tapestry of Culture: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology.. Glenview, IL.: Scott Foresman.
1978. Your Own Pigs You May Not Eat: A Comparative Study of New Guinea Societies. Canberra: Australian National University Press.
2003. eds. Translating Cultures: Perspectives on Translation in Anthropology. New York: Berg Publishers.
2012. Collecting Tribal Art: How Northwest Coast Masks and Eastern Island Lizard Men Became Art. West Conshohocken, PA: Infinity Publishing.
2021. Aliens on Our Shores : An Anthropological History of New Ireland Papua New Guinea: 1616-1914. Pasadena California: Development Resources Press.
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art -- Collectors and collecting Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kinship Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Papua New Guinea Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Oceania Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New Ireland Island (Papua New Guinea) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Middle East Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Iran Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Afghanistan Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Northwest Coast Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
North America Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kalmyks Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kanuri (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nigeria Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa, West Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Repository Contact
National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
naa@si.edu