description Barbara Myerhoff Overview
Barbara Myerhoff was an American anthropologist and filmmaker who studied Jewish identity, ritual, community, and aging. Her ethnographic work Number Our Days focused on older Jewish residents of Venice, California, and combined participant observation with recorded life histories; the project also became a documentary film, illustrating her use of visual media to represent social experience and memory.
help Barbara Myerhoff FAQ
What is Number Our Days about?
Number Our Days is Barbara Myerhoff's ethnographic study of older Jewish residents in Venice, California. It focuses on identity, ritual, community, aging, and the ways people use storytelling to maintain social presence.
Was Number Our Days also made into a film?
Yes, the 1976 documentary short was directed by Lynne Littman and runs for about 28 minutes. It follows the Venice community studied by Myerhoff and won the Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject in 1977.
Why did Barbara Myerhoff study older Jewish residents in Venice?
The community offered a setting for examining how Jewish identity and ritual were maintained in later life. Her work combined participant observation with recorded life histories from residents of the Venice area.
How did Barbara Myerhoff use filmmaking in anthropology?
She treated recorded conversations, rituals, and everyday interactions as part of the ethnographic record. Number Our Days shows how visual anthropology could preserve the voices and social relationships of an elderly Jewish community.
explore Explore More
Similar to Barbara Myerhoff
See all arrow_forward
Reviews & Comments
Write a Review
Be the first to review
Share your thoughts with the community and help others make better decisions.
