American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (1990) Winner
Sergei A. Kan
セルゲイ・A・カン
Sergei A. Kan
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1953-03-31 （Moscow, Soviet Union）
- Nationality
- Soviet Union (born), United States
- Languages
- English, Russian
- Religion
- Judaism (heritage)
- Residence History
- Moscow (birth) → Boston (undergraduate studies) → Chicago (graduate studies) → Michigan (faculty) → Hanover, New Hampshire (Dartmouth College)
Career
- Occupations
- Anthropologist, University professor, Researcher
- Active Years
- 1974-
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (former associate professor), Dartmouth College (tenured faculty)
- Memberships
- American Anthropological Association, etc. (details unknown)
- Influenced By
- Raymond D. Fogelson, Nancy Munn, George W. Stocking, Jr., John Comaroff, Jean Comaroff
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston University | College (undergraduate) | Anthropology (undergraduate) | BA | 1970年代（1974年渡米後に学部修了） | United States |
| University of Chicago | Department of Anthropology (graduate) | Anthropology (MA, PhD) | MA, PhD | 1980年代（大学院） | United States |
Boston University
College (undergraduate)
/ Anthropology (undergraduate)
Degree:
BA
Period:
1970年代（1974年渡米後に学部修了）
Country:
United States
Moved to the U.S. in 1974 and completed undergraduate studies at Boston University
University of Chicago
Department of Anthropology (graduate)
/ Anthropology (MA, PhD)
Degree:
MA, PhD
Period:
1980年代（大学院）
Country:
United States
Completed MA and PhD under Raymond D. Fogelson
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | American Book Award | Symbolic Immortality: The Tlingit Potlatch of the Nineteenth Century | — | Before Columbus Foundation | winner |
American Book Award
1990
Work:
Symbolic Immortality: The Tlingit Potlatch of the Nineteenth Century
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Symbolic Immortality: The Tlingit Potlatch of the Nineteenth Century
1989 Scholarly monographA historical and ethnographic analysis of the nineteenth-century Tlingit potlatch, examining symbolic forms of immortality and their relation to social structure and exchange.
PotlatchSymbolic immortalityNorthwest Coast ethnographyPower and gift exchange
Memory Eternal: Tlingit Culture and Russian Orthodox Christianity through Two Centuries
1999 Scholarly research (cultural and religious history)Examines two centuries of contact between Tlingit society and Russian Orthodox Christianity, tracing religious practices, memory, and cultural change.
Russian Orthodox ChurchCultural contactHistory of memoryReligion and gender
Coming to Shore: Northwest Coast Ethnology, Traditions and Visions (co-edited)
2004 Edited volume (essays)An edited volume collecting major recent work on Northwest Coast ethnology, traditions, and scholarly perspectives.
Northwest Coast ethnologyTraditions and perspectivesHistory of scholarship
Lev Shternberg: Anthropologist, Russian Socialist, Jewish Activist
2009 Intellectual biography / history of anthropologyAn intellectual biography examining the life and scholarly legacy of Lev Shternberg, a prominent Russian anthropologist of the late imperial and early Soviet period.
History of Russian anthropologyPolitics of intellectualsJewish activism
Bibliography
- Words That Heal the Soul: Analysis of the Tlingit Potlatch Oratory. Arctic Anthropology, 1983.
- Russian Orthodox Brotherhoods among the Tlingit: Missionary Goals and Native Response. Ethnohistory, 1985.
- The Nineteenth-Century Tlingit Potlatch: A New Perspective. American Ethnologist, 1986.
- Cohorts, Generations, and Their Culture: The Tlingit Potlatch in the 1980s. Anthropos, 1989.
- Symbolic Immortality: The Tlingit Potlatch of the Nineteenth Century. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989.
- Memory Eternal: Tlingit Culture and Russian Orthodox Christianity through Two Centuries. University of Washington Press, 1999.
- Friendship, Family, and Fieldwork: One Anthropologist's Adoption by Two Tlingit Families. In Strangers to Relatives (ed.), 2001.
- Coming to Shore: Northwest Coast Ethnology, Traditions and Visions (co-edited), 2004.
- Perspectives on Native North America: Cultures, Histories, and Representations (co-edited), 2006.
- Lev Shternberg: Anthropologist, Russian Socialist, Jewish Activist. 2009.
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Interdisciplinary analysis combining historical sources and ethnographyClear, detailed descriptive proseCareful attention to historical context
- Recurring Motifs
- Tlingit potlatchContact between Russian Orthodoxy and Indigenous peoplesMemory and generationsRitual and symbolism
Legacy
Sergei Kan is known for his contributions to Tlingit studies and Northwest Coast ethnography, as well as research on Russian/Soviet anthropology. He is valued for combining archival research with long-term fieldwork and for emphasizing relations with communities and Indigenous perspectives.
Academic Societies
- American Anthropological Association (likely affiliation)
Archives
- Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg) — visited for research
Quotes
-
A long-standing interest in the peoples and cultures of the entire Pacific Northwest Coast has led me to co-editing a volume of essays representing some of the major recent work in the field.
Source: Preface to Coming to Shore (co-edited), 2004 (2004)
Trivia
- Began fieldwork with the Tlingit in Sitka, Alaska in 1979 and was adopted ceremonially into two Tlingit families (receiving clan names).
- In 2018 he was appointed to the editorial board of the Russian journal Etnograficheskoe Obozrenie, one of the first foreign board members.
- In 2024 he was the lead signatory on a faculty letter supporting Dartmouth College president Sian Beilock in a controversial campus incident.