Charlotte Melina Viall Wiser (1892–1981), born Charlotte Melina Viall, was an American
anthropologist, and a
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
rural-
missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
to
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
–
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
.
She authored several books, notably, '' Behind Mud Walls'' and ''The Foods of a Hindu Village of North India''. She received
Kaiser-i-Hind Medal
The Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service in India was a medal awarded by the Emperor/Empress of India between 1900 and 1947, to "any person without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex ... who shall have distinguished himself (o ...
, an award given for public service in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Early life
Charlotte was born at Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
. While in
furlough, she completed her
MS degree in Nutrition from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
in 1933.
She was sent as a Presbyterian missionary to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in 1916. She married
William H. Wiser, another Presbyterian missionary arrived India in 1915, at
Allahabad in 1916. They had three sons – Arthur, Alfred, and Edward.
Missionary work
Her first term, including her husband's was to teach in
Allahabad, and to do social work in
Kanpur. She taught courses at the
Allahabad Agricultural Institute
Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS), formerly Allahabad Agricultural Institute, is a government-aided Agricultural University in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. It operates as an autonomous Christian min ...
. During their second term (1925–1930), they worked in
Mainpuri
Mainpuri is a city in Mainpuri district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mainpuri district and is situated to the north-east of Agra and is 270 km from New Delhi. Mainpuri forms part of the an ...
, and lived in village
Karimpur
Karimpur is a census town, near the bank of river Jalangi, in Karimpur I CD block in the Tehatta subdivision of the Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Location
Karimpur is located at . It has an average elevati ...
, near
Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...
, to get to know the village people and village life.
She and her husband spent most of their time in North India villages researching to improve the quality of Village life, after a period of six years in teaching from 1925. Initially, they did survey of a farming community to better understand the agriculture conditions. Later, they conducted extensive studies on the social, economic, and religious life of peasants between 1925 and 1930. Based on their survey, research, and experience in Indian Anthropology, she published several books like ''Behind Mud Walls'' – in collaboration with her husband William wiser -, and ''The Foods of a Hindu Village of North India'' in 1936—Charlotte submitted this dissertation to Conrell University as a master's thesis in Nutrition. These research books have become source of North Indian village life to be taught in colleges and universities of
United States, especially in
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
state.
Charlotte worked among Indian women and children from rural areas to help raise the standard of health. She ran baby shows like fairs demonstrating Western hygiene and childcare techniques. From 1945 to 1960, both Charlotte and her husband played pivotal and responsible role in the development and direction of ''Indian Village Service'', a demonstration project for the improvement of village life. It later became a model for agencies involving in rural community development program—India's Block Development Program at
Marehra
Marehra, is a city and a municipal board in Etah district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Marehra is famous worldwide foSufi Syed Shah Barkatullah Marehra is also famous for the temple of Lord Hanuman, where the statue of Hanuman is the h ...
,
Etah district.
She returned to US in 1970, and died in December 1981.
Works
* ''For All of Life a Presbyterian Mission study book'', in 1943.
* ''Four families of Karimpur'', in 1978.
* ''Behind Mud Walls'', in 1930–1960, 1970–1980.
* ''The Foods of a Hindu Village of North India'', in 1936.
References
External links
*
William Hendricks Wiser and Charlotte Viall Wiser Papers (RG 128), Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library.
William Henricks and Charlotte Melina (Viall) Wiser Papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiser, Charlotte Melina Viall
1892 births
1981 deaths
American Presbyterian missionaries
Female Christian missionaries
Presbyterian missionaries in India
Recipients of the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal
Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni
University of Chicago alumni
American expatriates in India
20th-century American anthropologists