Morton Klass | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 June 1927  Brooklyn |
| Died | 28 April 2001 (aged 73) Washington Heights |
| Occupation | Anthropologist, university teacher |
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Morton Klass (June 24, 1927 – April 28, 2001) was an American anthropologist known for his studies of caste and kinship in India, as well as his work on religion and culture among the Bhojpuri-speakingIndo-Caribbean population.[1]
Klass completed his doctoral degree atColumbia University, where he later taught anthropology for many years.[2] He conducted extensive fieldwork in both India and the Caribbean, beginning with Trinidad from 1957 to 1958.[3] From 1962 to 1963, he began Indian studies at Columbia University under the direction ofConrad M. Arensberg inWest Bengal.[4] With a sponsorship from theSocial Science Research Council, Klass returned to India from 1972 to 1973 for a second period of study.[5]
Klass wrote widely on the anthropology of religion, contributing to understanding of ritual, belief, and religious change. He died in 2001.