Karl G. Heider

Karl Heider (born January 21, 1935) is an American visual anthropologist.

Karl G. Heider
Born	Karl Heider (1935-01-21) 21 January 1935 (age 90) Hampshire County, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard College
Occupation	Anthropologist
Spouse	Eleanor Rosch
Father	Fritz Heider

Life and education

Heider was born in Northampton, Massachusetts.^[1] Heider is the son of psychologists Fritz and Grace (née Moore) Heider. He had two brothers; John and Stephan.

After spending two years at Williams College, Heider transferred to Harvard College where he earned his B.A. in anthropology. Heider then spent a year touring Asia on a Sheldon Traveling Fellowship provided by Harvard.^[2] Returning to Harvard in 1958, Heider went on to earn an M.A. in 1959 and Ph.D. in 1966.^[3]

He was married to the psychologist Eleanor Rosch with whom he studied the Dani people.^[4][5] The couple divorced in the late 1970s.^[6]

Career

Heider's work ranged from psychological anthropology to visual anthropology.^[7]

It has included going into the West Papua region in the 1960s and 1990s,^[8] as well as producing works on ethnographic film making^[9] and writing on Indonesian cinema.^[10]

Filmography

• Tikal (1961)
• Dani Sweet Potatoes (1974)
• Dani Houses (1974)

See also

• Visual anthropology
• Seeing Anthropology written by Karl G. Heider
• Rashomon effect

External links

• Interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 30th June 2007 (video)