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Title: Joel Martin Halpern papers
Date (inclusive): 1918-2007
Creator:
Halpern, Joel Martin.
Collection Number: 76035
Repository:
Hoover Institution Archives
Stanford, California 94305-6010
Collection Size:
110 manuscript boxes, 4 cubic foot boxes
(49.9 linear feet)
Abstract: The collection contains grant proposals, conference papers, minutes, reports, studies, writings, notes, correspondence, electronic
bulletins, and printed matter related to economic and social development of the Southeast Asia region, and American social
science studies of the area; ethnology and social and economic conditions in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe (especially Yugoslavia),
and developing countries elsewhere; and the Yugoslav civil war.
Language of the Materials: The collection is in English, with some documents in Serbian and Croatian.
Boxes 1-5 and 92-95 closed until 2023 December 20. The rest of the collection is open for research.
The Hoover Institution Archives only allows access to
copies of audiovisual items. To listen to sound recordings or to view videos or films during your visit, please contact the Archives
at least two working days before your arrival. We will then advise you of the accessibility of the material you wish to see
or hear. Please note that not all audiovisual material is immediately accessible.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Archives.
[Identification of item], Joel Martin Halpern papers, [Box number], Hoover Institution Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Archives in 1976 and in increments between 1976 and 2008
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. To determine if this has occurred, find
the collection in Stanford University's online catalog at
http://searchworks.stanford.edu/ . Materials have been added to the collection if the number of boxes listed in the online catalog is larger than the number
of boxes listed in this finding aid.
Joel Martin Halpern Papers, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Joel Martin Halpern Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Joel M. Halpern Papers, John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
Joel M. Halpern Papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Joel Halpern Photograph Collection, Jones Library
Joel M. Halpern Balkan Archive, University of Bradford
Joel Halpern Collection, University of Graz
Joel M. Halpern Collection, University of Alberta Libraries
Joel M. Halpern Laotian Slide Collection, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| 1929 April 8 | Born, New York City, New York |
| 1950 | B.A., history, University of Michigan |
| Studied Eskimo settlements on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska | |
| 1951-1952 | Studied at the Russian Institute, Columbia University |
| 1953-1954 | Conducted research in former Yugoslavia |
| 1955 | Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Columbia University |
| 1956 | Ph.D., anthropology, Columbia University |
| Author, dissertation, Social and Cultural Change in a Serbian Village | |
| Research associate, Human Relations Area Files, American University, Washington, D. C. | |
| 1956-1958 | Field Service Officer, Community Development Division, International Cooperation Administration, Luang Prabang, Laos, Foreign Service Reserve |
| 1958 | Author, A Serbian Village |
| Author, Aspects of Village Life and Culture Change in Laos | |
| 1958-1963 | Assistant professor of anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles |
| 1959 | With support of the Rand Corporation, conducted research in Laos, resulting in the study The Lao Elite: A Study of Tradition and Innovation |
| 1959-1961 | Consultant, Rand Corporation |
| 1963-1967 | Associate professor of anthropology, Brandeis University |
| 1964 | Director, Brandeis Summer Field Training Program, Bosnia, Yugoslavia |
| 1965-1967 | Fellow, Russian Research Center, Harvard |
| 1966-1970 | Member, Mekong Seminar of the Southeast Asia Development Advisory Group (SEADAG), Asia Society |
| 1967 | Author, The Changing Village Community |
| 1967-1992 | Professor of anthropology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst |
| 1969-1970 | Resident fellow, MIT-Harvard Joint Center for Urban Studies |
| 1970-1971 | Visiting professorship, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat and Arnold Bergstrasser Institute, Freiburg, Germany |
| 1972 | Author, with Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern, A Serbian Village in Historical Perspective |
| 1974 | Senior research fellow, Center for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto |
| 1975 | Served on a grant review panel for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health |
| 1975, 1978 | Senior exchange scientist, National Academy of Sciences |
| 1976 | Author, The Changing Peasantry of Eastern Europe |
| 1983- | Joint appointment with Judaic Studies Program, University of Massachusetts |
| 1989 | Author, with Lucy Hong Nhiem Nguyen, The Far East Comes Near |
| 1992- | Professor emeritus |
Scope and Content of Collection
The Joel Martin Halpern papers document Halpern's career as an anthropologist. The collection includes grant proposals, conference
papers, minutes, reports, studies, writings, notes, correspondence, electronic bulletins, and printed matter related to economic
and social development of the Southeast Asia region, and American social science studies of the area; ethnology and social
and economic conditions in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe (especially Yugoslavia), and developing countries elsewhere; and
the Yugoslav civil war. Although the collection has not been arranged, the index to major groups can serve as a guide to the
collection.
During his career as an anthropologist, Halpern traveled extensively for his scholarly work. He conducted fieldwork in a number
of countries, including former Yugoslavia (in the areas of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Bosnia) and Laos. Halpern
began his fieldwork endeavors as a student, spending his summers in northern Ontario, the Swedish Lapland, and Eskimo settlements
in Alaska. His doctoral research took him to former Yugoslavia, where he and his wife, Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern, spent a year
in the Serbian village of Orašac. Yugoslavia would become a primary area of focus for Halpern, along with Laos. Later in his
career, Halpern studied Jewish communities in Massachusetts. Halpern's curriculum vitae, which can be found in the
Biographical file, details his fieldwork, as well as his professional positions and numerous writings.
Throughout his career, Halpern frequently traveled to former Yugoslavia for research and fieldwork opportunities. The
Yugoslavia file contains Halpern's fieldwork notes, including kinship charts of Orašac residents, and Halpern's research and notes, including
photocopies of archival documents from the 1600s to 1900s. Box 36, folder 7 contains information on various projects related
to Yugoslavia.
In addition to his work in Yugoslavia, Halpern also conducted research in Laos. The
Laos file contains fieldwork notes, conversation transcripts, and detailed letters written by Joel and Barbara Halpern describing Laos
and their work.
Based on his fieldwork and research, Halpern produced a wealth of articles and books, many of which were coauthored by Barbara
Kerewsky-Halpern. The
Writings contain materials written and edited by Halpern, as well as pamphlets for other projects he was involved with, such as photograph
exhibits. The collection includes many Laos Project papers based on research done in 1956 and 1957. Also included are writings
published for the University of Massachusetts at Amherst International Area Studies Programs Occasional Paper Series.
In addition to his fieldwork, Halpern taught courses at University of Massachusetts at Amherst, UCLA, and Brandeis University.
The collection includes
Course material for classes Halpern taught on Eastern Europe, the USSR, and rural peasant societies.
While Halpern was a professor at UCLA in the 1960s, he was given funds to select and purchase materials on Yugoslavia for
the library. In the early 1970s, Halpern worked on a project to create a handbook of research resources on Eastern, Central,
and Southeastern Europe. Material documenting these projects can be found in the
UCLA file.
Halpern was involved in the
Southeast Asia Development Advisory Group (SEADAG) of the Asia Society as a member of the Mekong Seminar from 1966 to 1970. The mission of SEADAG included promoting scholarly
collaboration between Asians and Americans, encouraging indigenous research capabilities in Southeast Asia, stimulating an
interdisciplinary approach to development research and encouraging research on development problems, and supporting the research
of graduate students. Material on SEADAG includes grant proposals and evaluations (including for a research program funded
by the Agency for International Development), scholarly papers, executive committee correspondence, and seminar reports, which
detail the general content and major conclusions of SEADAG meetings.
Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern, the wife of Joel Halpern, was a medical anthropologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts
at Amherst. She often conducted research with Joel and coauthored papers with him. In 1990, Barbara gave an interview for
Bulgarian TV to promote interest in creating a Bulgarian multiple sclerosis organization. For years after the interview, Barbara
received letters from members of the Bulgarian public regarding multiple sclerosis. In addition to these letters, the
Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern file contains a curriculum vitae and flyer for one of her projects. See also the writings series for articles cowritten with Joel
Halpern.
The collection includes several typescripts of Serbian poet and essayist, Milovan Danojlić, which were given to Halpern by
the author for safekeeping.
The
Subject file mainly contains articles and speeches (including drafts and conference papers) by other academics on topics such as development
and agricultural economics. There are also several files on United States culture.
The collection includes
Printed matter, such as academic papers, development reports, newspapers, magazines, textbooks, and clippings related to countries where
Halpern conducted research, especially countries of former Yugoslavia and Laos. The collection includes textbooks and other
published educational aids from Serbia,Macedonia, Bosnia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Russia, and the United States. Conference papers
and programs for various conferences on Eastern Europe and Russia can be found in the
Conference file.
The
Photographs series contains black and white slides of life in Eastern Europe and photocopies of photographs of Bosnia. The
Audiovisual material series contains three VHS tapes, including video produced for Serbian television.
| Box Nos. | Groups |
|---|---|
| 7, 13, 24, 31, 42, 43, 55 | Biographical file, 1960-1990. Includes curriculum vitae of Halpern and documents related to accusations of Halpern's involvement with United States intelligence services. |
| 21-22, 30-32, 36-37, 67 | Yugoslavia file, 1948-1975. Includes fieldwork notes, research, photocopies of archival documents, and information on various projects involving Yugoslavia. |
| 24, 27-30, 91 | Laos file, 1956-1988. Includes articles, bibliographies, edited volumes, and exhibit catalogs on Yugoslavia, Laos, and other countries of research. Includes articles coauthored by Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern. |
| 8-10, 14-15, 19-21, 23-27, 29-30, 34, 36-37, 41, 43, 48-49, 53, 55, 65, 67-68, 91, 98-99, 101, 104 | Writings, 1950-1998. Includes articles, bibliographies, edited volumes, and exhibit catalogs on Yugoslavia, Laos, and other countries of research. Includes articles coauthored by Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern. |
| 40, 47, 99 | Course material, 1964, 1980-1990. Includes course descriptions, syllabi, and reading assignments. |
| 32-33 | UCLA file, 1962-1973. Includes correspondence and invoices related to projects to collect library materials and create a bibliography. |
| 6, 10, 13-14, 44-48 | Southeast Asia Development Advisory Group (SEADAG) file, 1961-1976. Includes grant proposals and evaluations, reports, correspondence, and meeting minutes. Includes material related to the Mekong Seminar. |
| 10, 14-15, 37, 51, 91 | Russian Research Center, Harvard University, 1951-1979. Includes seminar notes, papers, correspondence, and calendars. |
| 42, 51, 70-78, 101, 104 | Barbara Kerewsky-Halpern file, 1990-1995, undated. Contains correspondence from members of the Bulgarian public regarding multiple sclerosis and curriculum vitae. See also Writings for articles coauthored with Joel Halpern. |
| 49 | Milovan Danojlić file, 1974-1981. Includes typescripts of essays and poetry. |
| 20-21, 31-32, 38, 52, 56-61, 66, 68, 96-97, 100-104, 106-108 | Subject file, 1946-2004. Includes writings by others, printed matter, and correspondence. |
| 6, 7-9, 12-13, 15-20, 27, 29-31, 33-35, 37-40, 42-44, 51-54, 56, 61-63, 65, 68-69, 79-89-91, 98-103, 105-106, 108-113 | Printed matter, 1927-2007, undated. Includes academic papers, reports, textbooks, and clippings on Yugoslavia, Laos, and other countries. |
| 6, 7, 11-13, 17, 30, 33-34, 40-41, 43-44, 59, 62-63, 67, 89-91, 101, 105, 108 | Conference file, 1959-1999. Includes conference papers and programs. |
| 14, 30, 32, 38, 96 | Photographs, 1922-2007. Includes black and white slides of life in Eastern Europe and photocopies of images in Bosnia. |
| 114 | Audiovisual material, 1986-1993. Contains three VHS tapes. Titles are inscribed from labels and may not match tape content. |
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Asia Society.
Southeast Asia Development Advisory Group.
Asia, Southeastern--Social conditions.
Developing countries.
Ethnology.
Europe, Eastern--Social conditions.
Social sciences--United States.
Yugoslav War, 1991-1995.
Yugoslavia--Social conditions.