Morton Klass Explained

Morton Klass (June 24, 1927 – April 28, 2001) was an American anthropologist known for his studies of caste and kinship in India, as well as his work on religion and culture among the Bhojpuri-speaking Indo-Caribbean population.^[1]

Klass completed his doctoral degree at Columbia University, where he later taught anthropology for many years.^[2] He conducted extensive fieldwork in both India and the Caribbean, beginning with Trinidad from 1957 to 1958.^[3] From 1962 to 1963, he began Indian studies at Columbia University under the direction of Conrad M. Arensberg in West Bengal.^[4] With a sponsorship from the Social Science Research Council, Klass returned to India from 1972 to 1973 for a second period of study.^[5]

Klass wrote widely on the anthropology of religion, contributing to understanding of ritual, belief, and religious change. He passed away in 2001.

Publications

• East Indians in Trinidad: A Study of Cultural Persistence (1961)
• The Kinds of Mankind: An Introduction to Race and Racism (1971)
• From Field to Factory: Community Structure and Industrialization in West Bengal (1978)
• Caste: The Emergence of the South Asian Social System (1980)
• Singing with Sai Baba: The Politics of Revitalization in Trinidad (1991)
• Ordered Universes: Approaches To The Anthropology Of Religion (1995)
• Across The Boundaries Of Belief: Contemporary Issues In The Anthropology Of Religion (1999)
• Mind Over Mind: The Anthropology and Psychology of Spirit Possession (2003), posthumous publication

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dr. Morton Klass, 73, Anthropologist, Is Dead. 2001-05-03. 2023-06-25. Saxon, Wolfgang. New York Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20150527151952/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/03/nyregion/dr-morton-klass-73-anthropologist-is-dead.html. 2015-05-27. live.
2. American Anthropologist. Morton Klass (1927-2000). Herbert S. Lewis. 104. 2. 637-640. June 2002. 10.1525/aa.2002.104.2.637.
3. Morton Klass. De Gruyter. 10.7312/klas90934. 1961. 9780231881227. East Indians in Trinidad: A Study of Cultural Persistence.
4. American Anthropologist. Corrections to the Obituary of Morton Klass. Herbert S. Lewis. 105. 1. 235-236. 10.1525/aa.2003.105.1.235. March 2003. free.
5. Klass 1980, p. 17