1/1/2017 RogerD.

AbrahamsWikipedia

RogerD.Abrahams
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RogerD.Abrahams(bornJune12,1933)isaprominentfolkloristwhoseworkfocusesontheexpressivecultures
andculturalhistoriesoftheAmericas,withaspecificemphasisonAfricanAmericanpeoplesandtraditions.Heis
theHumRosenProfessorofHumanities,Emeritus,attheUniversityofPennsylvania,wherehetaughtinthe
DepartmentofFolkloreandFolklife.Heistheauthorofalargenumberofbooks,amongwhichEverydayLife:A
PoeticsofVernacularPracticesisarecenttitle.[1]

HavingearnedhisPh.D.there,AbrahamsreturnedtotheUniversityofPennsylvaniain1986afterteaching
previouslyattheUniversityofTexasandatScrippsCollegeandPitzerCollegeinClaremont,California.Hewas
thefoundingDirectorofPenn'sCenterforFolkloreandEthnography,aresearchandpublicoutreachunit
associatedwiththeDepartmentofFolkloreandFolklife.[2]HewasawardedtheKennethGoldsteinAwardfor
LifetimeAcademicLeadershipbytheAmericanFolkloreSociety(AFS)in2005.[3]andisalsoanAFSFellow.[4]

RogerD.Abrahamsisanaccomplishedfolkloristandauthor.

Educationandcareer
AbrahamswasoneofthreechildrenborntoRobertD.AbrahamsandFlorenceKohnAbrahams,inPhiladelphia,
Pennsylvania.HiseducationincludesSwarthmoreCollegeinSwarthmore,Pennsylvania,whereheobtainedaB.A.
withHonorsinEnglishin1955ColumbiaUniversityinNewYork,whereheobtainedaM.A.withHonorsin
LiteratureandFolklorein1959andUniversityofPennsylvania,whereheobtainedaPh.D.inLiteratureand
Folklorein1961.

Abrahams'longandsuccessfulcareerbeganalmostimmediatelyafterattaininghisPh.D.,firstservingatthe
UniversityofTexasasinstructor(196063),assistantprofessor(196366),andthenassociateprofessor(196669)
intheDepartmentofEnglish.Hebecameafullprofessorin1969inthedepartmentsofEnglishandAnthropology
andremainedtherefortenyears.Whileservingasprofessor,Abrahamsalsoheldotherprestigiouspositionswhile
teachingattheuniversity.In1968,heservedasUniversitysAssociateDirectorfortheCenterforIntercultural
StudiesinFolkloreandOralHistoryfortwoyears.In1974,hebecamethedepartmentschairmanattheuniversity
forfiveyears.Healsotaughtatotheruniversities.AfterteachinginTexas,heservedastheAlexanderH.Kenan
ProfessorofHumanitiesandAnthropologyatScrippsandPitzerCollegesinClaremont,California,wherehe
remainedforsixyears.Afterthisposition,hereturnedtotheUniversityofPennsylvania,wherehetaughtFolklore
andFolklifeuntilhisretirementin2002andwasnamedtheHumRosenProfessorofFolkloreandFolklife.

Abrahamslistsofpublicationsandexhibitsareextensive.Hepublished21booksandmonographs,60book
chaptersandintroductions,64scholarlyarticles,10reviewarticles.Hewasalsopublishedineightmagazine
articles,sixencyclopediaandhandbookentries,25notessections,andasmanyas55reviewsofhisworkwere
publishedbyotherauthors.HepublishedsuchtextsasEverydayLife:APoeticsofVernacularPractices(2005),
TheManofWordsintheWestIndies:PerformanceandEmergenceofCreoleCulture(1983),BluesforNew
Orleans:MardiGrasandAmericasCreoleSoul,coauthoredwithNickSpitzer,JohnSzwed,andBobThomson
(2006)andAndOtherNeighborlyNames:SocialProcessandCulturalImageinTexasFolklore,coauthoredwith
RichardBauman(2011).MostofAbrahams'textswerededicatedtohisstudyofAfricanAmericanandCaribbean
culture.MostnotablewereAfricanFolktales(1983),AfricanAmericanFolktales:StoriesfromBlackTraditionsin
theNewWorld(1999),AfterAfricaandSingingtheMaster:TheEmergenceofAfricanAmericanCultureinthe
PlantationSouth(1992).AllofthesetextandthemultiplescholarlyarticlespublishedinjournalssuchasWestern

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Folklore,FolkMusicJournal,andJournalofFolkloreResearchincludedhismanyresearchinterests,whichwere,
butarenotlimitedtofolksongsandballadsfromvariouscultures,numerousformsofAfricanAmericanfolklore,
WestIndianfolklore,riddlestudy,proverbs,childrensfolklore,andfestivalandritual.

AbrahamsservedaspresidentoftheJournalofAmericanFolklore(1979),andhecontinuestoinfluencestudents
byhisparticipationinconferences,seminars,guestlecturerships,andvisitingfacultyallaroundtheworld.
Althoughheretiredfromteachingin2002,hecontinuestopublisharticlesandbooks.Abrahamscareerhasbeen
richwithaccomplishmentshisknowledgeandexpertisewillbefeltbygenerationstocome.

References
1.RogerD.Abrahams(2005)EverydayLife:APoeticsofVernacularPractices.Philadelphia:UniversityofPennsylvania
Press.
2."PastDirectorsoftheCenterforFolklore&Ethnography"
(http://www.sas.upenn.edu/folklore/center/PastDirectors.html),accessedDecember23,2009.
3.KennethGoldsteinAwardforLifetimeAcademicLeadership(http://www.afsnet.org/?page=Goldstein),American
FolkloreSocietyaccessedJuly9,2015.
4.FellowsoftheAmericanFolkloreSociety(http://www.afsnet.org/?page=Fellows),AFSaccessedJuly9,2015.

Wilk,Richard."Biographies:RogerD.Abrahams"(http://www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/theory_pages/Abrahams.ht
m).IndianaUniversity.PublishedMay2,2006,andaccessedMarch24,2013.

Externallinks
AbiographicalprofileofRogerD.Abrahams(http://www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/theory_pages/Abrahams.ht
m)writtenbyGillianRichardsGreaves

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Categories: Livingpeople SwarthmoreCollegealumni ColumbiaUniversityalumni

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