Diane K. Lewis and the Transformation of Anthropology

Abstract

This chapter explores Diane Lewis’s professional life as a courageous, self-determined intellectual activist. She studied anthropology at predominantly white institutions during the years when America’s apartheid policies and practices were firmly in place. Undaunted by the explicit racism and sexism of her time, Diane K. Lewis earned a PhD from Cornell University in 1962. Her experiences with blatant discrimination inspired a fiery intellectual activism. Although critical of anthropology’s colonial influences, Lewis believed the discipline could be transformed through activist engagement by insider or native scholars. Her most influential work addressed the intersection of race, gender, and class and the impact of HIV/AIDS on black communities.