Herskovits, Melville J. (Melville Jean), 1895-1963

Dahomey, an ancient West African kingdom
Book 1967

Summary: Melville Jean Herskovits was an American anthropologist who helped to first establish African and African Diaspora studies in American academia. He is known for exploring the cultural continuity from African cultures as expressed in African-American communities. He worked with his wife Frances (Shapiro) Herskovits, also an anthropologist, in the field in South America, the Caribbean and Africa. They jointly wrote several books and monographs. Wikipedia
Gender or Sex: Male [1][3][4][5][6]; Unknown [2]
Born: 1895 [2]; 1895-09-10 [6]
Birth Place: Bellefontaine, Ohio [3]; Bellefontaine [6]
Died: 1963 [2]; 1963-02-25 [6]
Death Place: Evanston, Ill. [3]; Evanston [6]
Country: United States [2]
Language: English [3]
Occupation: anthropologist [6]; writer [6]; university teacher [6]; educator [6]
Employer: Northwestern University [6]; Columbia University [6]; Howard University [6]
Educated at: The New School [6]; Columbia University [6]; University of Poitiers [6]; University of Cincinnati [6]; University of Chicago [6]
Country of Education: United States [6]; France [6]
Archives at: Northwestern University Archives [6]; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture [6]
Encyclopædia Britannica: Biography [6]
Yale LUX: Entity [6]
Notable Names Database: Profile [6]
American National Biography: Biography (requires subscription) [6]

Sources: 1. VIAF; 2. Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (Germany); 3. Bibliothèque nationale de France; 4. Library of Congress; 5. National Library of Korea; 6. Wikidata

Last updated Dec 16, 2025