Mischa Titiev (1901–1978) was a Russian Empire-born American anthropologist, whose career was principally at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. His fieldwork concerned Japan, Chile, Peru, and the

American Southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

, where his work on

Hopi The Hopi are Native Americans who primarily live in northeastern Arizona. The majority are enrolled in the Hopi Tribe of Arizona and live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona; however, some Hopi people are enrolled in the Colorado ...

people was particularly noted, including his books ''Old Oraibi'' (1944) and ''The Hopi Indians of Old Oraibi: Change and Continuity'' (1972). Born in

Kremenchug Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...

in 1901, he migrated with his family to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in 1907, earning B.A. (1923), M.A. (1924), and Ph.D. degrees (1935) at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, the former two in English literature, the latter in anthropology. The following year, he joined the faculty at the

, where he worked until retirement in 1970. In 1954, as part of a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

professorship at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

, he gave the Morrison Lecture, entitled "Chinese Elements in Japanese Culture."

References

University of Michigan faculty Harvard University alumni Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States 1901 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American anthropologists {{anthropologist-stub