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John Collier

ジョン・コリアー

John Collier

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1884-05-04 （Atlanta, Georgia, United States）
Died
1968-05-08 （Taos, New Mexico, United States） age 84
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Atlanta (birthplace) → New York (Columbia University; early career) → California (moved 1919) → Taos, New Mexico (later life)

Career

Occupations
Sociologist, Public official (Commissioner of Indian Affairs), Social reformer, Native American advocate, Writer, Educator
Active Years
1907-1968
Affiliations
People's Institute, American Indian Defense Association, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Indian Institute, City College of New York (faculty)
Influenced By
Mabel Dodge (introduced him to Pueblo communities), Taos Pueblo communities
Influenced
Indian New Deal policies and subsequent tribal self-determination movement, Reformers of federal Indian policy, His sons (influenced interests in preservation and applied/visual anthropology)

Education

Columbia University
Sociology
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 1902–1906
Year of Graduation: 1906
Country: United States
Graduated from Columbia; developed social philosophy that influenced later work
Collège de France
Period: 留学期間不明
Country: France
Studied in Paris; exact period and degree not specified

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Indians of the Americas

1947 Non-fiction / Anthropology & Sociology

An overview of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, discussing culture, history, and the need for policy measures to preserve native cultures.

Cultural preservationSelf-determinationLand and community

On the Gleaming Way: Navajos, Eastern Pueblos, Zunis, Hopis, Apaches, and Their Land; and Their Meanings to the World

1949 Non-fiction / Ethnography

A collection of essays on Southwestern tribes and their lands, reflecting on the global significance of traditional cultures.

Tribal culturesSense of placeTradition vs. modernization

From Every Zenith: a memoir; and some essays on life and thought

1963 Memoir & Essays

A memoir and collection of essays reflecting on his life, ideas, and public service, including his work on Indian policy.

MemoirPolicy rationaleSocial philosophy

Selected articles (e.g., "The Indian in a wartime nation", "United States Indian Administration as a laboratory of ethnic relations")

1942 Scholarly articles

Scholarly treatments of Indian policy and ethnic relations during and after World War II.

Ethnic relationsAdministration and sociological researchEducational reform

Bibliography

  • The Indians of the Americas (1947)
  • On the Gleaming Way (1949)
  • From Every Zenith: a memoir; and some essays on life and thought (1963)
  • Selected articles (1942–1945)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Expository and persuasivePolicy-oriented analytical proseEthnographic and sociological observation
Recurring Motifs
Community revitalizationCultural pluralismLand and self-government

Legacy

John Collier reshaped federal Indian policy via the Indian New Deal, promoting tribal self-government and cultural preservation, while his policies also provoked resistance in some tribes and his role in wartime Japanese American relocation remains controversial.

Archives

  • Yale University Manuscripts and Archives (John Collier papers, MS 146)

Quotes

  • He described American society as "physically, religiously, socially, and aesthetically shattered, dismembered, directionless."
    Source: Summarized from Collier's writings and speeches (see his essays and articles) (1934)

Trivia

  • Served as U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs from 1933 to 1945.
  • Principal architect of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (Indian New Deal).
  • Married anthropologist Laura Maud Thompson in 1943.
  • His son John Collier Jr. became a noted documentary photographer.