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Jean Briggs

1929 – 2016

American-born Canadian anthropologist

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About Jean Briggs

Lived 1929 – 2016 (aged 87). Jean Briggs was a Canadian anthropologist, ethnologist, linguist, lexicographer and ethnographer.

Jean L. Briggs (May 28, 1929 – July 27, 2016) was an American-born anthropologist, ethnographer, linguist, and professor emerita at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her best known works included the 1970 landmark book Never in Anger: Portrait of an Eskimo Family, based on 18 months of research and field work in Inuit communities on the Arctic coast during the 1960s.

Biography Briggs was born in Washington, D.C., on May 28, 1929, the eldest of four children of Margaret (née Worcester) and Horace W. Briggs, member of the clergy of The New Church, also known as Swedenborgianism.

In 1967, Briggs moved to the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador and joined the Department of Anthropology at Memorial University in St. John's, where she taught for 47 years. as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of Bergen in Norway. She was also a Royal Society of Canada fellow.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Boston University, Harvard University, Vassar College
Employers
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Awards
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

People in Jean Briggs's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Jean Briggs's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Jean Briggs?

American-born Canadian anthropologist

When was Jean Briggs born?

Jean Briggs was born on 28 May 1929 in Washington, D.C..

When did Jean Briggs die?

Jean Briggs died on 27 July 2016.

What was Jean Briggs's occupation?

Jean Briggs was an anthropologist, ethnologist, linguist, lexicographer and ethnographer.

What nationality was Jean Briggs?

Jean Briggs was Canadian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Jean Briggs

· Wikidata: Q26502794

· DBpedia: Jean Briggs

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jean Briggs. https://biography.guide/jean-briggs/

MLA: "Jean Briggs." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jean-briggs/.

Chicago: "Jean Briggs." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jean-briggs/.

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