Harald E. L. Prins (born 1951) is a Dutch anthropologist, ethnohistorian, filmmaker, and human rights activist specialized in North and South America's indigenous peoples and cultures.
Biography
Harald Prins was born in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and is a University Distinguished Professor of anthropology at
Kansas State University.
Academically trained at various universities in the Netherlands, where he studied prehistoric archaeology, history, and cultural anthropology, among others under Anton Weiler, Albert Trouwborst,
Anton Blok
Anton Blok (born 1935 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch anthropologist, famous for studying the Mafia in Sicily in 1960s. Anton Blok was a visiting professor at the University of Michigan (1972–73) and the University of California, Berkeley in 1988. Fro ...
, and
Ton Lemaire, he completed his at the
Radboud University Nijmegen
Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, nl, Radboud Universiteit , formerly ''Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen'') is a public research university located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The university bears the name of Saint Radboud, a 9th century D ...
(1976). After two years as an assistant professor in theoretical history at its graduate program, he came to New York City under the auspices of the Netherlands-America Institute in 1978. As a Vera List Fellow at the Graduate Faculty of Social and Political Science,
the New School for Social Research
The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...
(1978–1979), he studied anthropology under
Eric Wolf
Eric Robert Wolf (February 1, 1923 – March 6, 1999) was an anthropologist, best known for his studies of peasants, Latin America, and his advocacy of Marxist perspectives within anthropology.
Early life Life in Vienna
Wolf was born in Vi ...
,
Michael Harner
Michael James Harner (April 27, 1929 – February 3, 2018) was an anthropologist, educator and author. His 1980 book, ''The Way of the Shaman: a Guide to Power and Healing,''Harner, Michael (1980) ''The Way of the Shaman''. San Francisco: Harper ...
,
Edmund Snow Carpenter
Edmund "Ted" Snow Carpenter (September 2, 1922 – July 1, 2011) was an American anthropologist best known for his work on tribal art and visual media.
Early life
Born in Rochester, New York to the artist and educator Fletcher Hawthorne Carpent ...
and others. In addition, he received formal training in advanced
16mm film
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...
-making in NYC (1979–1980).
Although he has also done research among half a dozen other indigenous nations in North and South America, he is primarily known for his ethnographic and historic research on
Wabanaki Indian peoples and cultures, in particular the
Mi'kmaq
The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...
(or Micmac). After ethnographic fieldwork in
La Pampa Province
La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza.
History
In ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
(1980–1981), he merged the theoretical perspectives of
cultural ecology
Cultural ecology is the study of human adaptations to social and physical environments. Human adaptation refers to both biological and cultural processes that enable a population to survive and reproduce within a given or changing environment. Thi ...
and
political economy
Political economy is the study of how Macroeconomics, economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and Economy, national economies) and Politics, political systems (e.g. law, Institution, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied ph ...
into a concept of
political ecology. During a decade of
applied anthropology
Applied anthropology is the application of the methods and theory of anthropology to the analysis and solution of practical problems. In ''Applied Anthropology: Domains of Application'', Kedia and Van Willigen define the process as a "complex of ...
among Maine Indians as Director of Research and Development for the Association of
Aroostook Indians (1981–1982), and as tribal anthropologist for the
Aroostook Band of Micmacs
The Aroostook Band of Micmacs is a federally recognized tribe of Mi'kmaq people, based in Aroostook County, Maine. Their autonym is Ulustuk. Of the 28 bands of Mi'kmaq people, the Aroostook Band is the only one in the United States. The Aroostook ...
(1982–1990), he was instrumental in helping this impoverished and landless indigenous community win
federal recognition
This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
of its tribal status and a land base in northern Maine. He also served as Expert Witness on native rights in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
(1989) and in several Canadian courts (1996, 2000), and was an international observer in the presidential elections of
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
(1993). Since 2013, he has served as lead expert witness on riverine
sovereignty
Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
and tribal reservation boundaries for the
Penobscot Indian Nation in a U.S. federal court case.
Author of numerous publications in eight languages, including books and edited volumes, he is also international award-winning documentary filmmaker. He was visual anthropology editor for ''
American Anthropologist
''American Anthropologist'' is the flagship journal of the American Anthropological Association (AAA), published quarterly by Wiley. The "New Series" began in 1899 under an editorial board that included Franz Boas, Daniel G. Brinton, and John W ...
'' (1998–2002), and served as president of the Society of
Visual Anthropology
Visual anthropology is a subfield of social anthropology that is concerned, in part, with the study and production of ethnographic photography, film and, since the mid-1990s, new media. More recently it has been used by historians of science an ...
(1999–2001).
Having previously taught at
Radboud University Nijmegen
Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, nl, Radboud Universiteit , formerly ''Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen'') is a public research university located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The university bears the name of Saint Radboud, a 9th century D ...
,
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...
,
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...
, and the
University of Maine
The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...
, he has won numerous outstanding teaching awards at Kansas State U., including the 1993 Conoco Award, the 1999 Presidential Award, and the 2004 Coffman Chair of Distinguished Teaching Scholars. In 2005, he was appointed University Distinguished Professor, the highest academic rank. A year later, the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most nota ...
selected him as Kansas Professor of the Year. Most recently, he taught as Guest Professor of Social Anthropology at
Lund University
, motto = Ad utrumque
, mottoeng = Prepared for both
, established =
, type = Public research university
, budget = SEK 9 billion [American Anthropological Association
The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 members, the association, based in Arlington, Virginia, includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, ...]
honored him with the 2010 AAA/Oxford University Press Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. He served as guest curator and was subsequently a research associate at the
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...
,
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
in Washington DC (2003-2011).
Son of Dutch maritime anthropologist
A. H. J. Prins Adriaan Hendrik Johan Prins, generally known as A. H. J. Prins (1921, Harderwijk, Gelderland – 11 February 2000) was a Dutch Africanist and maritime anthropologist.
He was a recipient of many research grants and fellowships (UNESCO, Ford Fo ...
and godson of
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language.
It may also refer to:
* Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya
*Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people
*Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...
and
Swahili specialist
Harold E. Lambert
Harold E. Lambert OBE (1893–1967) was a British linguist and anthropologist in Kenya.
Born in Pield Heath, raised in Bournemouth, and educated at Queens' College, Cambridge (1912–1915), Lambert served as a platoon commander in t ...
, Senior District Commissioner in British colonial Kenya, he is married to American author and journalist
Bunny McBride
Carol Ann (Bunny) McBride is an American author of a wide range of nonfiction books on subjects ranging from cultural survival and wildlife conservation to Native Americans. Her most recent ethnohistory book is ''Indians in Eden: Wabanakis and Rus ...
.
Publications
* "Two George Washington Medals: Missing Links in the Chain of Friendship between the U.S. and the Wabanaki Confederacy." Pp. 9–11. ''The Medal'' (British Museum, 1985)
* "A Wabanaki Renaissance?: Political Movement among Micmacs and Maliseets." (in Dutch) Pp. 108–44. ''Terugkeer van een Verdwijnend Volk''. (eds. T. Lemaire and F. Wojciechowski, 1985)
* "Micmacs and Maliseets in the St. Lawrence River Valley." Pp. 263–78. ''Papers of the Seventeenth Algonquian Conference''. (ed. W. Cowan, 1986)
* "Norridgewock: Village Translocation on the New England-Acadian Frontier." Pp. 137–58. ''Man in the Northeast'', No.33 (with B. Bourque, 1987).
* ''Tribulations of a Border Tribe: Discourse on the
Political Ecology of the Aroostook Band of Micmacs (16th-20th Centuries)''. (1988)
* "American Indians and the Ethnocinematic Complex: From Native Participation to Production Control." Pp. 80–90. ''Eyes Across the Water''. (R. Boonzajer Flaes, 1989)
* "The Anthropologist as 'Trickster': Critical Reflection and Political Action in Anthropology." (in Dutch). Pp. 174–87. ''Natuur en Cultuur''. (eds., R. Corbey & P. v.d. Grijp, 1990)
* "Cornfields at Meductic: Ethnic and Territorial Configurations in Colonial Acadia. Pp.55-72. ''Man in the Northeast'', No.44 (1992).
* "To the Land of the Mistigoches: American Indians Traveling to Europe in the Age of Exploration." Pp. 175–95. ''Am. Indian and Culture and Research Journal'', Vol.17 (1993).
* ''American Beginnings: Exploration, Culture, and Cartography in the Land of Norumbega''. (co-ed. with E. Baker et al., 1994)
* "Children of Gluskap: Wabanaki Indians on the Eve of the European Invasion." Pp. 165–211. ''American Beginnings''. (eds. W. Baker et al., 1994)
* "Neo-Traditions in Native Communities: Sweatlodge and Sundance among the Micmac Today." Pp. 383–94. ''Proceedings of the 25th Algonquian Conference''. (ed. W. Cowan, 1994)
* "Turmoil on the Wabanaki Frontier, 1524–1678." Pp. 97–119. ''Maine: The Pine Tree State from Prehistory to Present''. (ed. R. Judd, 1995)
* "Tribal Network and Migrant Labor: Mi'kmaq Indians as Seasonal Workers in Aroostook's Potato Fields (1870–1980)." Pp. 45–65. ''Native Americans and Wage Labor''. (eds. A. Littlefield and M. Knack, 1996)
* ''The Mi'kmaq: Resistance, Accommodation and Cultural Survival''. (Harcourt Brace, 1996)
* "Chief Rawandagon alias Robin Hood: Native 'Lord of Misrule' in the Maine Wilderness." Pp. 93–115. ''Northeastern Indian Lives, 1632–1816''. (ed. R. Grumet, 1996)
* "Walking the Medicine Line: Molly Ockett, A Pigwacket Doctor." (with B. McBride) Pp. 321–47.''Northeastern Indian Lives, 1632–1816''. (ed. R. Grumet, 1996)
* "The Paradox of Primitivism: Native Rights and the Problem of Imagery in Cultural Survival Films." Pp. 243–66. ''Visual Anthropology'' Vol.9 (1997).
* "Chief Big Thunder (1827–1906): The Life of a Penobscot Trickster." Pp. 140–58. ''Maine History'' Vol.37 (1998).
* "Storm Clouds over Wabanakiak: Confederacy Diplomacy until Dummer’s Treaty (1727)" https://web.archive.org/web/20161106174427/http://www.wabanaki.com/Harald_Prins.htm
* "A Handful of Ashes: Reflections on Tristes Tropiques." Pp. 94–99. ''Contemporary Cultures and Societies of Latin America''. (ed. Dwight R. Heath, 2001)
* "The Crooked Path of Dummer's Treaty: Anglo-Wabanaki Diplomacy and the Quest for Aboriginal Rights." Pp. 360–77. ''Papers of the 33rd Algonquian Conference'' (ed.
H.C. Wolfart, 2002)
* ''The Origins of Visual Anthropology''. Visual Anthropology Review (co-ed. with Jay Ruby, 2002)
* "Visual Media and the Primitivist Perplex." Pp. 58–74. ''Media Worlds: Anthropology on New Terrain''. (ed. by F. Ginsburg et al., 2002)
* "Visual Anthropology." Pp. 505–25. ''A Companion to the Anthropology of American Indians''. (ed. by T. Biolsi, 2004) https://chairoflogicphiloscult.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/a-companion-to-anthropology-of-american-indians.pdf
* "Pragmatic Idealism in Challenging Structural Power: Reflections on Advocacy Anthropology." Pp. 183–200. ''Ethik, Ethos, Ethnos: Aspekte und Probleme Interkultureller Kritik''. (ed., A. Hornbacher, 2006)
*''The Essence of Anthropology''. (multiple editions, most recent 4th ed, with W. Haviland et al., 2015)
* ''Evolution and Prehistory: The Human Challenge''. (multiple editions, 10th ed., with W. Haviland et al., 2013)
* ''Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge''. (multiple editions, most recent 15th ed., with W. Haviland et al., 2017)
*''Anthropology: The Human Challenge''. (multiple editions, most recent 15th ed., with W. Haviland et al., 2017)
* "Vers un monde sans mal: Alfred Métraux, un anthropologue à l'UNESCO." Pp. 115–25. ''60 Ans d'Histoire de l'Unesco''. Paris: UNESCO, 2005 (with E. Krebs)
* "Edmund Carpenter: A Trickster's Exploration in Culture & Media." (with J. Bishop). Pp. 207–46. ''Memories of the Origins of Ethnographic Film''. (ed. by B. Engelbrecht, 2007)
* ''Asticou's Island Domain: Wabanaki Peoples at Mount Desert Island 1500–2000''. Boston: Northeast Region Ethnography Program. National Park Service, U.S. Dept of the Interior 2007. (2 vols, with B. McBride). Digitally published on National Park Service website: http://www.nps.gov/acad/historyculture/ethnography.htm
* ''Indians in Eden: Wabanakis and Rusticators on Maine's Mt. Desert Island, 1840s–1920s.'' (with B. McBride) Camden: Down East Books, 2009
* "The Atlatl as Combat Weapon in 17th-Century Amazonia: Tapuya Indian Warriors in Dutch Colonial Brazil." In ''The Atlatl'' 23(2):1-3. http://waa.basketmakeratlatl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Tapuya-Atlatl-Article-by-Harald-Prins-25-May-2010.pdf
*''Princípios de Antropologia''. São Paulo, Brazil: Cengage Learning Learning Edições, Ltda, 2011 (co-authored with Haviland et al.)
* "Ethnographic Portraits, 1967-71." pp. 212–219, 366-367. ''Irving Penn: Centennial''. Maria. M. Hambourg, ed., New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art/Yale U Press. 2017
* "From Indian Island to Omaha Beach: The D-Day Story of Charles Shay, Penobscot War Hero." (1st author, with B. McBride). Bath, Me.: Wisbee Creek Press, 2019.
See https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Island-Omaha-Beach-Penobscot/dp/0578497271#reader_0578497271
* "From Indian Island to Omaha Beach: The Story of Charles Shay, Penobscot Indian War Hero." (with B. McBride). Lincoln: U Nebraska Press, 2020 (expected).
Documentary films
* ''Our Lives in Our Hands'' (with Karen Carter, 1986) (about Mi'kmaq Indian basketmakers in Maine
* ''Wabanaki: A New Dawn'' (by David Westphall and Dennis Kostyk, 1995) (served as major research consultant)
* ''Oh, What a Blow that Phantom Gave Me!'' (with
John Melville Bishop John Melville Bishop (born April 4, 1946, in North Dakota) is a contemporary, U.S., documentary filmmaker known for the breadth of his collaborations, primarily in the fields of anthropology and folklore. He has worked with Alan Lomax, John Marshall ...
, 2003) (about
Edmund Snow Carpenter
Edmund "Ted" Snow Carpenter (September 2, 1922 – July 1, 2011) was an American anthropologist best known for his work on tribal art and visual media.
Early life
Born in Rochester, New York to the artist and educator Fletcher Hawthorne Carpent ...
)
* ''Among
Xavante
The Xavante (also Shavante, Chavante, Akuen, A'uwe, Akwe, Awen, or Akwen) are an indigenous people, comprising 15,315 individuals within the territory of eastern Mato Grosso state in Brazil. They speak the Xavante language, part of the Jê langu ...
Friends'' (wit
Adam Bohannonand Jessie Stone, 2008) (about Harvard anthropologist David Maybury-Lewis, founder of
Cultural Survival
Cultural Survival (founded 1972) is a nonprofit group based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, which is dedicated to defending the human rights of indigenous peoples.
History
Cultural Survival was founded by anthropologist David Maybur ...
)
References
External links
* Personal page Harald Prins on KSU website https://web.archive.org/web/20070206103316/http://www.ksu.edu/sasw/anthro/prins.htm
* Personal page Bunny McBride on KSU website https://web.archive.org/web/20070209090142/http://www.ksu.edu/sasw/anthro/mcbride.htm
* Background on the Mi'kmaq film ''Our Lives in Our Hands'' http://www.folkstreams.net/film,94
* Article on Edmund Carpenter http://www.media-generation.com/Articles/VAR.pdf
* Transcript of ''Oh, What a Blow...'' film http://www.media-generation.com/Articles/Transcript.pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prins, Harald
1951 births
Living people
Dutch anthropologists
Visual anthropologists
Kansas State University faculty
People from Alphen aan den Rijn
Radboud University Nijmegen alumni
Dutch expatriates in the United States