description Robert Redfield Overview
Robert Redfield (1897–1958) was an American anthropologist who taught at the University of Chicago and helped establish the anthropological study of peasant communities. He is best known for developing the "folk-urban continuum," a theoretical framework that described societies as existing on a spectrum between rural, homogenous folk societies and complex, heterogeneous urban centers. Developed from his fieldwork in Mexico, this concept heavily influenced mid-20th-century community studies.
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Robert Redfield ranks #150 of 304 in the Anthropologist ranking, behind Faye Ginsburg, ahead of Jane Guyer.
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What is Robert Redfield's folk-urban continuum?
The folk-urban continuum is a theoretical framework developed by Robert Redfield that describes how societies transition from isolated, homogeneous rural 'folk' societies to heterogeneous, individualistic urban societies. He introduced this concept in his 1941 book 'The Folk Culture of Yucatan.'
Where did Robert Redfield conduct his anthropological research?
Redfield conducted extensive ethnographic research in Mexico, specifically studying the culture of peasant villages in the Yucatan Peninsula. He famously studied a village called Tepoztlán to observe the cultural impact of modernization and urbanization on traditional rural life.
At which university did Robert Redfield teach?
Robert Redfield was a prominent faculty member at the University of Chicago. He played a crucial role in establishing the university's anthropological focus on peasant communities and the interdisciplinary study of complex civilizations.
Who was Robert Redfield's father-in-law, and how did it influence his work?
Robert Redfield was married to Margaret Park Redfield, making the famous sociologist Robert E. Park his father-in-law. Park's sociological theories regarding urban environments and race relations heavily influenced Redfield's own anthropological studies of rural-to-urban societal transitions.
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