Winifred Hoernlé
South African anthropologist and social reformer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Agnes Winifred Hoernlé née Tucker (6 December 1885–17 March 1960) was a South African anthropologist, widely recognized as the "mother of social anthropology in South Africa".[1][2] Beyond her scientific work, she is remembered for her social activism and staunch disapproval of Apartheid based on white supremacy. Born in 1885 in the Cape Colony, as an infant she moved with her family to Johannesburg, where she completed her secondary education. After earning an undergraduate degree in 1906 from South African College, she studied abroad at Newnham College, Cambridge, Leipzig University, the University of Bonn, and the Sorbonne. Returning to South Africa in 1912, she undertook anthropological research among the Khoekhoe people, until she married in 1914.
Winifred Hoernlé | |
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Born | Agnes Winifred Tucker (1885-12-06)6 December 1885 Kimberley, Cape Colony, British Empire |
Died | 17 March 1960(1960-03-17) (aged 74) |
Nationality | South African British |
Other names | A. Winifred Hoernlé, Agnes Winifred Hoernlé, Winifred Hoernle, Winifred Tucker Hoernle |
Education | South African College Newnham College Leipzig University University of Bonn College of Sorbonne |
Occupation | Anthropologist |
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After settling with her husband in Boston from 1914 to 1920, Hoernlé returned to South Africa to resume her research. She partnered with Alfred Radcliffe-Brown in a collaborative effort to establish social anthropology as an academic discipline. In 1926, embarking on an academic career, she established both a library and an ethnological museum to facilitate her students' learning. Introducing innovative teaching ideals, she encouraged her students to evaluate social change, as well as the roles of women in society. On her retirement from teaching in 1937, she spent the rest of her life focusing on social reforms. Hoernlé's anthropological studies and teaching had informed her world view, leading her to become an opponent of separatist Apartheid policies. She argued in reports submitted to the government that all cultures which were part of the greater single society of South Africa had intrinsic value and that no race was superior. She espoused protection of fundamental principles such as equal opportunity without conditions of race and colour, supporting freedom of conscience and expression and the rule of law for all Africans.
In her lifetime, Hoernlé was honoured with numerous awards for her academic work and her social reform programmes. She received an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1945, which recognized both aspects of her career. She is remembered for training most of the leading South African anthropologists of her era and for laying the foundations for the development of social anthropology in South Africa.