Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain (6 November 1898 – 20 June 1975)[1] was the first woman Haitiananthropologist. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain was a student of Bronisław Malinowski who worked in 1949 with Alfred Métraux, and participated in a UNESCO project in Haiti. She married Jean Comhaire, a Belgian who headed the Anthropology Department of University of Nsukka. Subsequently, she worked in Africa.
She was born on 6 November 1898 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and was the daughter of Georges Sylvain, Haitian activist and symbol of the resistance against the American Occupation, and of Eugénie Malbranche.
She studied in Kingston and Port-au-Prince before she obtained her bachelor's degree and Doctorate in Paris. Besides her interest in Haitian folklore and social issues of the condition of women in Haiti and Africa, her research focused on the origins of Creole language, an idiom considered juvenile and worthless at that time. She had chosen a difficult path but her work, disregarded by her peers, sparked the interest of famous Polish anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski. The latter invited her in London where she became her research assistant while studying at London University and later at the London School of Economics. She also conducted successful research at the British Museum that resulted in her major work regarding the African roots of Haitian Creole.[2]
Comhaire-Sylvain conducted field research in Kenscoff and Marbial (Haiti), Kinshasa (Congo), Lomé (Togo) and Nsukka (Nigeria) and worked with renowned anthropologists such as Melville Herskovits and Alfred Métraux who entrusted her and her husband Jean Comhaire with a mission of the UNESCO in Haiti. Comhaire-Sylvain also taught at the New School for Social Research in New York, was an early recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, and was appointed a member of the United Nations trusteeship council for Togo and Cameroon under French administration.[2]
Comhaire-Sylvain came from a very notable family in Haiti. Her uncle Benito Sylvain was one of the founding fathers of Pan-Africanism and her father Georges Sylvain (1866–1925) was an important figure of the resistance against the American occupation in Haiti. Comhaire-Sylvain was the oldest of a family of seven. Her sister Yvonne Sylvain (1907–1989) was the first Haitian woman physician and the first gynecologist-obstetrician of the country. Many of her articles were published in the magazine Voix des femmes (Women's Voices). Their brother Normil Sylvain (1900–1929) was a poet and co-founder in 1927 of La Revue indigène. Comhaire-Sylvain's sister Madeleine Sylvain (1905–1970) was one of the founders of the Ligue Feminine d’Action Sociale (Feminine League for Social Action) which fought for women's legal rights such as equality for married women. Finally, her youngest brother Pierre Sylvain (1910–1991) was a botanist who published several reports on coffee production in Ethiopia.[2]
She died in a car accident in Nigeria on 20 June 1975. As of 2014, her papers had been catalogued and made available through Stanford University Libraries.
Her work (including more than 200 articles) was awarded numerous distinctions, such as the Prix de l'Alliance Française (The French Alliance Prize), "La Médaille de l'Académie Française" (The Medal of the French Academy), "La Grande Médaille de l'Alliance Française et La Médaille de la Société pour l'Encouragement du Progrès" (The French Alliance Medal and the Medal of the Society for Encouragement and Progress).
1937. Les contes haiïtiens (Ière partie): Maman D'leau. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain; Université de Paris, Faculté des letters. [Thesis/Dissertation : Microfiche : Master microform]. Paris: s.n., 1937; Wetteren (Belgique): Imprimerie De Messter.
1937b. Les contes haïtiens. (I-II). Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain; Thesis /Dissertation. Publisher: Paris; Wetteren (Belgique) : Imprimerie De Messter.
1937c. Review of: Le Créole Haïtien, Morphologie et Syntaxe Review of: Les Contes Haitiens (I partie), IIe Partie by C G Woodson, Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain [Article]; language: English; publication: Journal of Negro History, July, Vol. 22, No. 3, p. 369–372.
1938. A propos du vocabulaire des croyances paysannes. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain. Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
1938a. Contes du pays d'Haïti. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain. Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
1938b. Loisirs et divertissements dans la région de Kenscoff, Haïti. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Jean Comhaire-Sylvain.Travaux Publics: Bruxelles.
1940. Le roman de Bouqui. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain. Imprimerie du Collège Vertières: Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
1952. La alimentación en la región de Kenscoff, Haiti. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Jean Comhaire-Sylvain. América Indígena: México, D.F.
1953. Haitian Creole: grammar, texts, vocabulary. Robert Anderson Hall; Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Alfred Métraux. American folklore society: Philadelphia; American Anthropological Ass.: Menasha, Wis.; American Folklore Society: New York, Kraus Reprint, 1969.
1959. Naissance, mort, état-civil à Kenscoff, Haïti. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Jean Louis Léopold Comhaire. Bruxelles.
1959a. Urban stratification in Haiti. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, J. Comhaire-Sylvain. Institute of Social and Economic Research, University College of the West Indies: Kingston (?), Jamaica, W.I.
1962. Considérations sur les migrations à Addis Abeba [preparé pour le College Universitaire d'Addis Abeba]. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain. S.L.: S.N. Distr. Restreinte.
1964. A statistical note on the Kenscoff market system, Haiti. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, J. Comhaire-Sylvain. Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of the West Indies: Kingston, Jamaica.
1968. Femmes de Kinshasa hier et aujourd'hui. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain. Microfilm. Le Haye /Mouton: Paris.
1974. Jetons nos couteaux!: contes des garçonnets de Kinshasa et quelques parallèles haïtiens. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain. Centre d'Etudes Ethnologiques: Bandundu, Zaïre.
1979. Le Créole haïtien. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain. Slatkine Reprints: Genève.
1982. Femmes de Lomé. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain.. CEEBA: Bandundu, Zaire; Steyler Verlag (distributor): St. Augustin, Rép. féd. d'Allemagne.
1982a. Mai-ndombe: paysages, histoire, culture (Rép. du Zaïre). Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain et al.. CEEBA: Bandundu, Zaire.
1984. Les montagnards de la région de Kenscoff (Rép. d'Haïti): une société Kongo au-delà des mers. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Jean Comhaire. CEEBA: Bandundu, Zaïre.
1991. Cric? crac! : contes du pays d'Haiti. Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Casimir; Maruzen Mates, et al. Maruzen Mates: Tokyo.
^"Haiti-Reference : Notables d'Haiti : Suzanne Sylvain Comhaire n. 06 nov 1898 Port-au-Prince d. 20 juin 1975 Nigéria". www.haiti-reference.com. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
^ abc"Guide to the Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain Papers (M1835)". Retrieved 8 February 2016.
^Palli, Francesca. "Potomitan - Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain: A bibliography of Her Publications". www.potomitan.info. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
Further readingedit
Hurbon, Laënnec (1975). "Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain (In Memoriam)". Journal de la Société des Africanistes (in French). 45 (fascicule 1-2): 200–201.
January 01, 1970
suzanne, comhaire, sylvain, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2017 Learn how and when to remove this message Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain 6 November 1898 20 June 1975 1 was the first woman Haitian anthropologist Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain was a student of Bronislaw Malinowski who worked in 1949 with Alfred Metraux and participated in a UNESCO project in Haiti She married Jean Comhaire a Belgian who headed the Anthropology Department of University of Nsukka Subsequently she worked in Africa Suzanne Comhaire SylvainSuzanne Comhaire SylvainBorn 1898 11 06 November 6 1898Port au Prince HaitiDiedJune 20 1975 1975 06 20 aged 76 NigeriaOccupationFolklorist anthropologist ethnographerPeriodc 1935 1975SpouseJean Comhaire m 1927 div 1975 wbr Contents 1 Biography 2 Selected published works 3 See also 4 References 5 Further readingBiography editShe was born on 6 November 1898 in Port au Prince Haiti and was the daughter of Georges Sylvain Haitian activist and symbol of the resistance against the American Occupation and of Eugenie Malbranche She studied in Kingston and Port au Prince before she obtained her bachelor s degree and Doctorate in Paris Besides her interest in Haitian folklore and social issues of the condition of women in Haiti and Africa her research focused on the origins of Creole language an idiom considered juvenile and worthless at that time She had chosen a difficult path but her work disregarded by her peers sparked the interest of famous Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski The latter invited her in London where she became her research assistant while studying at London University and later at the London School of Economics She also conducted successful research at the British Museum that resulted in her major work regarding the African roots of Haitian Creole 2 Comhaire Sylvain conducted field research in Kenscoff and Marbial Haiti Kinshasa Congo Lome Togo and Nsukka Nigeria and worked with renowned anthropologists such as Melville Herskovits and Alfred Metraux who entrusted her and her husband Jean Comhaire with a mission of the UNESCO in Haiti Comhaire Sylvain also taught at the New School for Social Research in New York was an early recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and was appointed a member of the United Nations trusteeship council for Togo and Cameroon under French administration 2 Comhaire Sylvain came from a very notable family in Haiti Her uncle Benito Sylvain was one of the founding fathers of Pan Africanism and her father Georges Sylvain 1866 1925 was an important figure of the resistance against the American occupation in Haiti Comhaire Sylvain was the oldest of a family of seven Her sister Yvonne Sylvain 1907 1989 was the first Haitian woman physician and the first gynecologist obstetrician of the country Many of her articles were published in the magazine Voix des femmes Women s Voices Their brother Normil Sylvain 1900 1929 was a poet and co founder in 1927 of La Revue indigene Comhaire Sylvain s sister Madeleine Sylvain 1905 1970 was one of the founders of the Ligue Feminine d Action Sociale Feminine League for Social Action which fought for women s legal rights such as equality for married women Finally her youngest brother Pierre Sylvain 1910 1991 was a botanist who published several reports on coffee production in Ethiopia 2 She died in a car accident in Nigeria on 20 June 1975 As of 2014 her papers had been catalogued and made available through Stanford University Libraries Selected published works editThis section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia s inclusion policy May 2020 Learn how and when to remove this message 3 Her work including more than 200 articles was awarded numerous distinctions such as the Prix de l Alliance Francaise The French Alliance Prize La Medaille de l Academie Francaise The Medal of the French Academy La Grande Medaille de l Alliance Francaise et La Medaille de la Societe pour l Encouragement du Progres The French Alliance Medal and the Medal of the Society for Encouragement and Progress 1937 Les contes haiitiens Iere partie Maman D leau Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Universite de Paris Faculte des letters Thesis Dissertation Microfiche Master microform Paris s n 1937 Wetteren Belgique Imprimerie De Messter 1937a Les contes haitiens IIeme partie conjoint animal ou demon deguise Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Thesis Dissertation Microfiche Master microform publisher s n Paris 1937b Les contes haitiens I II Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Thesis Dissertation Publisher Paris Wetteren Belgique Imprimerie De Messter 1937c Review of Le Creole Haitien Morphologie et Syntaxe Review of Les Contes Haitiens I partie IIe Partie by C G Woodson Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Article language English publication Journal of Negro History July Vol 22 No 3 p 369 372 1938 A propos du vocabulaire des croyances paysannes Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Port au Prince Haiti 1938a Contes du pays d Haiti Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Port au Prince Haiti 1938b Loisirs et divertissements dans la region de Kenscoff Haiti Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Jean Comhaire Sylvain Travaux Publics Bruxelles 1940 Le roman de Bouqui Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Imprimerie du College Vertieres Port au Prince Haiti 1952 La alimentacion en la region de Kenscoff Haiti Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Jean Comhaire Sylvain America Indigena Mexico D F 1953 Haitian Creole grammar texts vocabulary Robert Anderson Hall Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Alfred Metraux American folklore society Philadelphia American Anthropological Ass Menasha Wis American Folklore Society New York Kraus Reprint 1969 1959 Naissance mort etat civil a Kenscoff Haiti Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Jean Louis Leopold Comhaire Bruxelles 1959a Urban stratification in Haiti Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain J Comhaire Sylvain Institute of Social and Economic Research University College of the West Indies Kingston Jamaica W I 1962 Considerations sur les migrations a Addis Abeba prepare pour le College Universitaire d Addis Abeba Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain S L S N Distr Restreinte 1964 A statistical note on the Kenscoff market system Haiti Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain J Comhaire Sylvain Institute of Social and Economic Research University of the West Indies Kingston Jamaica 1968 Femmes de Kinshasa hier et aujourd hui Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Microfilm Le Haye Mouton Paris 1970 Le Nouveau dossier Afrique Situation et perspectives d un continent Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Jean Louis Leopold Comhaire Verviers Gerard amp Co 1970 c 1971 by Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Jean Comhaire Fernand Bezy Francis Olu Okediji Pierre L Van den Berghe Amadou Mahtar M Bow Verviers Marabout 1975 1974 Jetons nos couteaux contes des garconnets de Kinshasa et quelques paralleles haitiens Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Centre d Etudes Ethnologiques Bandundu Zaire 1975 Contes haitiens textes integrales creole francais Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain CEEBA Bandundu Zaire 1979 Le Creole haitien Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Slatkine Reprints Geneve 1982 Femmes de Lome Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain CEEBA Bandundu Zaire Steyler Verlag distributor St Augustin Rep fed d Allemagne 1982a Mai ndombe paysages histoire culture Rep du Zaire Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain et al CEEBA Bandundu Zaire 1984 Les montagnards de la region de Kenscoff Rep d Haiti une societe Kongo au dela des mers Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Jean Comhaire CEEBA Bandundu Zaire 1991 Cric crac contes du pays d Haiti Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Casimir Maruzen Mates et al Maruzen Mates Tokyo See also editTimeline of women in scienceReferences edit Haiti Reference Notables d Haiti Suzanne Sylvain Comhaire n 06 nov 1898 Port au Prince d 20 juin 1975 Nigeria www haiti reference com Retrieved 2018 05 17 a b c Guide to the Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain Papers M1835 Retrieved 8 February 2016 Palli Francesca Potomitan Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain A bibliography of Her Publications www potomitan info Retrieved 8 February 2016 Further reading editHurbon Laennec 1975 Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain In Memoriam Journal de la Societe des Africanistes in French 45 fascicule 1 2 200 201 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Suzanne Comhaire Sylvain amp oldid 1165852699, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
