F. K. Lehman (February 5, 1924 – February 10, 2016; born Frederic Kris Lehman; also known by his Burmese name U Chit Hlaing, or sometimes as F. K. L. Chit Hlaing) was an American anthropologist and professor emeritus at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Widely known as one of the founding fathers of Burma studies in the United States, he taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1952 until his retirement in 2009.

Early life

Frederic Kris Lehman was born in 1924 in New York City. Born into a family of gem merchants, he spent his childhood in Calcutta, India and Lashio, Burma. In 1941, he returned to New York City.Schober, Juliane
Where to Begin? A Brief Intellectual Biography of F. K. Lehman (F. K. L. U Chit Hlaing)
''The Journal of Burma Studies'' Vol. 15 No. 1 (2011), pp. 1–6. Center for Burma Studies, Northern Illinois University.

Education

Lehman obtained a BA in Mathematics (1949) from New York University and a PhD (1959) in Anthropology and Linguistics from Columbia University.

Career

Lehman taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1952 until his retirement in 2009 at the age of 85. He supervised dozens of graduate students at the University of Illinois. He conducted ethnographic research among many ethnic groups of Burma, including the

Chin The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a we ...

Mizo Mizo may refer to: *Mizo people, an ethnic group native to north-eastern India, western Myanmar (Burma) and eastern Bangladesh *Mizo language, a language spoken by the Mizo people *Mizoram, a state in Northeast India *Lusei people, an ethnic group ...

(Lushai), Shan,

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...

, Kayah,

Burmese Burmese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia * Burmese people * Burmese language * Burmese alphabet * Burmese cuisine * Burmese culture Animals * Burmese cat * Burmese chicken * Burmese (hor ...

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

, and Yunnanese. Lehman also played an instrumental role in the founding of the Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois University.

Personal life

F. K. Lehman married Sheila Geyer in New York City on September 10, 1956. They had two sons, Mark Alexander Lehman (married to Sandra Edwards) and Charles Frederic Albert Lehman. His grandchildren are Tamisha LaShawn McClendon, Brandon Alexander Lehman, and Cameron Alexander Lehman.Frederic Lehman
By The News-Gazette, Feb. 28, 2016. He was more often known as Kris Lehman to his close friends and family.

Death

Lehman died on February 10, 2016, at the age of 92.

Publications

Lehman published more than 60 articles. He also published two monographs, which are:Bibliography of F. K. Lehman’s Published Works
" ''Journal of Burma Studies'' 15, no. 1 (2011): 59-67. doi:10.1353/jbs.2011.0007. *1963. ''The Structure of Chin Society''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. (2nd ed. 1981. Calcutta: Firma KLM for Tribal Research Centre.) *1967. “Kayah Society as a Function of the Shan-Burma-Karen Context.” In ''Contemporary Change in Traditional Societies'', vol. 1, ed. J. H. Steward, 1–104. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

References

External links

Kris Lehman 2003 interview
* F. K. Lehman's Kuki-Chin bibliography on Wikibooks {{DEFAULTSORT:Lehman, F. K. 1924 births 2016 deaths Burmese studies scholars American anthropologists American ethnographers Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty American expatriates in India American expatriates in Myanmar Linguists of Burmese