Barbara Myerhoff
Welcome to the publication, “Representations.” This is a project designed to bring the perspectives of a wider variety of groups to the forefront of the anthropology classroom. In recognition of often-overlooked Women’s History, we are covering the accomplishments of female anthropologists. Learn more about our project; read on for the amazing accomplishments of Barbara Myerhoff.
Barbara Myerhoff was an American anthropologist who received the Pushcart Prize in 1979 along with receiving the Woman of the Year by the Jewish War Veterans of America in 1980. Women in all fields were constantly — and are still constantly today — being told that they can not do what a man does, but Myerhoff proved many wrong. She broke barriers throughout her career and saw, “[her] work throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s shape the anthropological study of ritual and of life histories. She redefined academic and public perceptions of the elderly and was a pioneer in her scholarship on women and religion” (The Jewish Women’s Archive Exhibits, n.d.).
Barbara Myerhoff published many books and created films as well; most of her work as an anthropologist focused on social groups like religion and gender. As mentioned in the Encyclopedia of Religion, “Myerhoff’s scholarly writings analyze those morphological features of ritual that allow it to be effective in secular as well as sacred settings and in pre-and post-colonial societies, as well as modern and post-modern ones” (Encyclopedia, n.d.). Myerhoff was constantly educating herself and others by studying our past and present. Our world is such a diverse society where all people from different religions, cultures, and genders which excited Myerhoff to do extensive work on different societies.
One book in particular written by Barabara Myerhoff, “Number Our Days” published in 1980, she writes about aging, Judaism, and culture. Being a woman and Jewish, she was already born in a suppressed ideology sculpted by society. In part of her book, Myerhoff talks about Jewish struggles in Venice, California and in particular she wrote, “Signs of what was once a much larger, more complete Yiddish ghetto remain along the boardwalk. Two storefront synagogues are left, where only a few years ago there were a dozen. There is a delicatessen and a Jewish bakery. Before there were many kosher butcher stores and little markets…” (Myerhoff, 5). She explains how during a time there were tons of synagogues and stores, but after time not many were still around. Myerhoff overall, explains how culture has shaped life leading to her reflection on life.
Born on February 16, 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio and then raised in Los Angeles, California, Myeroff experienced what it was like being Jewish in both Ohio and California all well exploring other religions and cultures too. Before not many women were given the opportunity nor allowed to have an education, fortunately for Barbara Myerhoff that was not the case. Barbara Myerhoff studied at the University of California, Los Angeles where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1958. A few years later, she attended the University of Chicago where she received her Masters of Arts in Human Development in 1963 where she later on received her Doctor of Philosophy once again at the University of California, Los Angeles.
After attending school, Myerhoff went on to teach at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Southern California where, “Twenty-six years ago the first visual research center at USC within the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences was founded by Academy award winner Barbara Myerhoff (“Number Our Days”)” (Andrews, 2009). Through her time as a teacher she opened doors for students at USC giving them the opportunity to work and learn at the visual research center. One memorable study that Myerhoof had was:
In the 1970s, [when she] began an extensive study of the elderly Jewish immigrants living in Venice, California. [It led to the] award-winning documentary film and book of the same title, Number Our Days, showed how aging Eastern European immigrants made everyday life meaningful, surviving amidst hardship, invisibility and poverty. She redefined academic and public perceptions of the elderly and was a pioneer in her scholarship on women and religion. (OAC, n.d.)
Myerhoff studied and wrote about topics many did not speak about, but when she did she brought new insights and perspectives. Unfortunately, years later Myerhoff passed away on January 7, 1985 in Burbank, California. While she passed away at a young age, she achieved so much; she won an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject for Number Our Days in 1977, she won the Pushcart Prize in 1979, and won Woman of the Year by the Jewish War Veterans of America in 1980. Along with these achievements she published books and movies: in 1974 Peyote Hunt: The Sacred Journey of the Huichol Indians, in 1977 “We Don’t Wrap Herring in a Printed Page: Fusions, Fiction and Continuity in Secular Ritual” in Secular Ritual: Forms and Meanings edited by Sally Falk Moore and Barbara Myerhoff, in 1978 “Bobbes and Zeydes: Old and New Roles for Elderly Jews” in Women in Ritual and Symbolic Roles, edited by Judith Hoch-Smith and Anita Springs, in 1980 Number Our Days, in 1986 In Her Own Time with Lynne Littman, in 1992 Remembered Lives: The Work of Ritual, Storytelling, and Growing Older edited by Mark Kamisky, and two movies in 1976 Number Our Days and in 1986 In Her Own Time. While she had many works published and produced, her legacy will forever live on.
As March is Women’s History month, we must honor those women who came before us and who paved the way to hundreds of opportunities near and far. As an anthropologist, Barabara Myerhoff studied and spoke about how different societies were built and how it played a role in the world.
Bibliography
Andrews, Susan. “Legends Asch and Myerhoff Inspire A New Generation of Visual Anthropologists > News > USC Dornsife.” USC Dornsife College News RSS, 23 Oct. 2009, dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/634/legends-asch-and-myerhoff-inspire-a-new-generation-of-visual-ant/.
The Jewish Women’s Archive Exhibits. Barbara Myerhoff. www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/barbara-myerhoff.
Number Our Days, by Barbara G. Myerhoff, Simon and Schuster, 1980, pp. 5.
“Myerhoff, Barbara G. “ Encyclopedia of Religion. . Encyclopedia.com. <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Online Archive of California. Finding Aid for the Barbara G. Myerhoff Papers 0275. oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt4b69q3tb/.
Photo courtesy of Jewish Women’s Archive.
