Louis Dupree (August 23, 1925 – March 21, 1989) was an American
archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
,
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
, and
scholar of
Afghan culture
The culture of Afghanistan has persisted for over three millennia, tracing record to at least the time of the Achaemenid Empire in 500 BCE, and encompasses the cultural diversity of the nation. Afghanistan's culture is historically strongly c ...
and
history. He was the husband of
Nancy Hatch Dupree, who was the
Board Director
Board or Boards may refer to:
Flat surface
* Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat
** Plank (wood)
** Cutting board
** Sounding board, of a musical instrument
* Cardboard (paper product)
* Paperboard
* Fiberboard
** Hardboard, a ty ...
of the ''Afghanistan Center'' at
Kabul University in
Afghanistan and author of five books about Afghanistan. The husband and wife team from the
United States worked together for 15 years in
Kabul, collecting as many works written about Afghanistan as they could. They travelled across the country from 1962 until the 1979
Soviet intervention, conducting
archaeological excavations
In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...
.
Early life and careers
Dupree was born on August 23, 1925, in
Greenville,
North Carolina. He left
Greenville High School around 1943 without graduating to serve in
World War II, where he joined the
United States Merchant Marine and was stationed in the
Philippines. At the end of the war he decided to transfer to the
11th Airborne Division
The 11th Airborne Division ("Arctic Angels") is a United States Army airborne formation, first activated on 25 February 1943, during World War II. Consisting of one parachute and two glider infantry regiments, with supporting troops, the div ...
of the
United States Army. When World War II ended, he began Asian
archeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
and
ethnology studies at
Harvard University. After receiving his
B.A.,
M.A., and
Ph.D. degrees, he planned to re-visit the Philippines for research purposes but was rejected by its government, instead he was invited to join an archeological survey in Afghanistan in 1949. This led to his lifelong interest in southwestern Asia, from 1959 and 1983.
Dupree taught at the following universities:
*
Air University at
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...
*
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
(Penn State)
*
Princeton University in
New Jersey
*
United States Military Academy at
West Point, New York
*
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
*
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
in
Durham, North Carolina
Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
During his career, Dupree also served as adviser to several governments, including those of
West Germany,
France,
Denmark,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, and
Great Britain. He consulted with the
United States Department of State and the
United Nations. As an affiliate of the American Universities Field Staff (AUFS), he was their expert on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He and his wife were often seen driving in a
four-wheel-drive
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...
Land Rover truck in Afghan cities. After the April 1978
Saur Revolution
The Saur Revolution or Sowr Revolution ( ps, د ثور انقلاب; prs, إنقلاب ثور), also known as the April Revolution or the April Coup, was staged on 27–28 April 1978 (, ) by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) ...
in Afghanistan, Dupree was arrested and deported from the country. He moved back to the United States but often visited neighboring Pakistan to monitor the
Soviet–Afghan War. He has worked with the
mujahideen
''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...
forces who were fighting the Soviet-backed government of Afghanistan. He spent time in
Peshawar, Pakistan, along with his wife, assisting Afghan refugees. He had previously stayed in Pakistan as a Fulbright Scholar and as an advisor on Afghan affairs to the US ambassador in Pakistan.
Death
Dupree died of lung cancer on March 21, 1989, at
Duke University Hospital
Duke University Hospital is a 957-acute care bed academic tertiary care facility located in Durham, North Carolina. Established in 1930, it is the flagship teaching hospital for the Duke University Health System, a network of physicians and hosp ...
in Durham, North Carolina, just a month after the last Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
Books
* ''Afghanistan'' (1973)
* ''An Historical Guide to Afghanistan'' (1972)
* ''An Historical Guide to Kabul''
* ''A Guide to the National Museum''
References
External links
Museum Under Siege: Full Text by Nancy Hatch DupréeABLE in Afghanistan* [http://www.asiasociety.org/countries-history/traditions/preserving-afghanistans-cultural-heritage-an-interview-nancy-hatch-dupr Preserving Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage: An Interview with Nancy Hatch Duprée]
Nancy Dupree's love affair with KabulGroundbreaking ceremony for new library at Kabul University: 25 July 2009* http://zeroanthropology.net/2012/07/31/the-goat-caught-in-bushkazi-personal-effects-of-ones-role-in-the-great-game/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dupree, Nancy Hatch
American emigrants to Afghanistan
American expatriates in Pakistan
Harvard University alumni
Princeton University faculty
Duke University faculty
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty
1925 births
1989 deaths
Central Asian studies scholars
20th-century American archaeologists
Writers from Durham, North Carolina
20th-century American male writers
United States Army soldiers
People from Greenville, North Carolina
Historians of Afghanistan
20th-century American anthropologists
20th-century American historians
United States Merchant Mariners of World War II
Deaths from cancer in North Carolina
Deaths from lung cancer