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Kent, Susan A Guide to the Susan Kent Papers RG 17-13B1

A Guide to the Susan Kent Papers RG 17-13B1


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ODU University Archives

3000 Perry Library
4427 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 23529
Telephone: 757-683-5350
libspecialcollections@odu.edu
URL: https://www.odu.edu/library/special-collections

Mel Frizzell

Repository
ODU University Archives
Identification
RG 17-13B1
Title
Susan Kent Papers 1975-2003, undated Date acquired: 00/00/2003
URL:
https://archivesguides.lib.odu.edu/repositories/3/resources/293
Quantity
1.20 Linear Feet
Quantity
3 Hollinger document cases boxes
Creator
Kent, Susan (1952-2003)
Language
English .
Abstract
Dr. Kent served as a professor of anthropology from 1986 until 2003. She was an expert on hunters and gatherers. Her most extensive field work was her study of the Bushmen and Bakgalagadi of Africa. Collection includes material from her time at ODU, her field notes, and other research material.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, and the holder of the copyright, if not Old Dominion University Libraries.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restrictions.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], Dr. Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

Source of Acquisition

The family of Susan Kent

Method of Acquisition

Gift. Accession #A2003-4

Processing Information

The collection was processed and finding aid created by Mel Frizzell, Special Collections Assistant, in 2004.

Biographical or Historical Information

Susan Kent was born in 1952. In 1977, she took part in a New Mexico State University archaeological dig called the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project. In 1980, she received her Ph.D. For her doctoral dissertation, she studied spatial patterning of the Navajo Indians, Spanish Americans, and rural and urban Euro-Americans. In the early 1980's she studied the Pueblo II Mesa Verde Anasazi in southwestern Colorado. From 1985-86 she served as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Kentucky. Later in 1986, she joined the Old Dominion University (ODU) faculty to teach anthropology. At the time she arrived at ODU, she had five years of teaching experience, and an excellent record of scholarship and publication. In 1996, Kent was named a full professor. In 1999, she received the Charles O. and Elisabeth C. Burgess Faculty Research and Creativity Award. Also that year, she was elected to the American Anthropology Association's Committee on the Status of Women in Anthropology. As of February 2000, she was editor of the Archaeology Division column for the American Anthropological Association newsletter; on the Steering Committee of Build Form and Culture Research Association, and belonged to eight national and international professional associations. Also, in 2000, she was named an eminent scholar of anthropology at ODU for her consistent record of outstanding scholarly publications and her international reputation in the field of anthropology. Her works have appeared in journals published in Japan, Botswana, England, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. In 2001, she received the Distinguished Scholar in Anthropology award from the Virginia Social Sciences Association. Kent was elected to the executive board of the American Anthropological Association for a three-year term that began in November 2002. In early 2003, she was elected as a member to the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society. This is only a partial list of her many involvements and achievements. Kent was an expert on hunters and gatherers. As part of her ethnographic fieldwork, she studied numerous people including the Navajo and Tulalip Indians, Euro-Americans, and Spanish-speaking Americans. Her most extensive and long-term work was her field research in Botswana. Every summer from 1987 to 1995, and then again in 1997 and 2000, Kent spent considerable time studying the Bushmen and Bakgalagadi (Bantu-speakers) in the Kalahari Desert. The Bushmen, also known as Basarwa and San are a formerly nomadic people. In recent decades, they have been encouraged by government incentives to discard their nomadic lifestyle and settle. Incentives have included free food and drilling wells so these people no longer need to move about in search of these necessities. Special topics of interest for Kent were the use of space, gender roles, ethnoarchaeology, and health issues in these people. With regard to health issues, she was particularly interested in anemia and hemoglobin levels in hunter-gatherer peoples. While studying the Bushmen, she surveyed their dietary practices and monitored medical examinations of these people. In the field of archaeology, she excavated sites that range in date from Paleo-Indian societies to historic twentieth century sites of Native Americans. During the summers of 1998 and 1999, she surveyed and excavated African Stone Age sites including the Caledon River Valley in South Africa. Kent was author, editor, or co-author of at least 10 books, and numerous scholarly papers. She published over sixty book chapters. Susan Kent died on April 13, 2003 in Milwaukee, where she was attending the Annual Meeting of the American Archaeological Association. A memorial service was held for her at ODU on April 29, 2003.

Scope and Contents

The collection contains correspondence, department minutes, articles, papers, and other material pertaining to Susan Kent, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Old Dominion University. The collection also includes research material from Dr. Kent's site visits to Africa and her work on the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project.

Arrangement Note

The collection is organized into three series: Series I: ODU Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice; Series II: Research Materials; and Series III: Miscellaneous.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

  • Anthropologists--United States
  • Archaeologists--United States
  • Kent, Susan (1952-2003)
  • Old Dominion University--Faculty
  • Old Dominion University. Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

  • Kent, Susan (1952-2003)
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Container List

Series I
Series I: ODU Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
1985-2000, undated
Scope and Contents

This series includes blank exams and study guides for classes taught by Dr. Kent; instructors guides and study modules; an annual report; executive committee minutes; and department financial material.

  • Mixed Materials box: 1 Box 1
    Box 1
    • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 1 Folder 1
      Folder 1: Annual Report
      1985-1986
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 1, Annual Report, 1985-1986, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

    • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 2 Folder 2
      Folder 2: Exams and Study Guides
      1992-2000
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 2, Exams and Study Guides, 1992-2000, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

    • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 3 Folder 3
      Folder 3: Executive Committee Minutes
      1990 September 18
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 3, Executive Committee Minutes, 1990 September 18, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

    • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 4 Folder 4
      Folder 4: Evaluation Letters
      undated
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 4, Evaluation Letters, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

    • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 5 Folder 5
      Folder 5: Receipts and Invoices
      1995-2001
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 5, Receipts and Invoices, 1995-2001, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

    • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 6 Folder 6
      Folder 6: Tenure
      undated
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 6, Tenure, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

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Series II
Series II: Research Materials
1975-1995, undated
Scope and Contents

This series includes research material created by Dr. Kent. Included in the series are notes, maps, and data related to Dr. Kent's work with the Basarwa (Bushmen) and Bakgalagadi in Botswana, the Ozette Indian Village in Washington, and her work on the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project.

  • Sub-Series A
    Sub-Series A: Africa
    1988-1995, undated
    Scope and Contents

    This sub-series includes Dr. Kent's field notes and inventories from her expeditions with the Basarwa (Bushmen) and Bakgalagadi in Kutse, Botswana as well as her published papers on the subject.

    • Mixed Materials box: 1 Box 1
      Box 1
      • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 7 Folder 7
        Folder 7: Bushmen
        undated
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 7, Bushmen, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 8 Folder 8
        Folder 8: Items Left at Abandoned Pigmy Camps
        undated
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 8, Items Left at Abandoned Pigmy Camps, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 9 Folder 9
        Folder 9: Notes I
        1988 June-July
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 9, Notes I, 1988 June-July, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 10 Folder 10
        Folder 10: Notes II
        1988 June-July
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 10, Notes II, 1988 June-July, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 11 Folder 11
        Folder 11: Notes
        1989 December-1990 January
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 11, Notes, 1989 December-1990 January, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 12 Folder 12
        Folder 12: Notes
        1990-1993
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 12, Notes, 1990-1993, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 13 Folder 13
        Folder 13: Notes
        1991 June
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 13, Notes, 1991 June, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 14 Folder 14
        Folder 14: Notes
        1989 May-June
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 14, Notes, 1989 May-June, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 1 folder: 15 Folder 15
        Folder 15: Notes
        1992 May-June
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 15, Notes, 1992 May-June, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

    • Mixed Materials box: 2 Box 2
      Box 2
      • Mixed Materials box: 2 folder: 1 Folder 1
        Folder 1: Notes
        1993 May-June
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 1, Notes, 1993 May-June, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 2 folder: 2 Folder 2
        Folder 2: Notes
        1995
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 2, Notes, 1995, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 2 folder: 3 Folder 3
        Folder 3: Notes: Hut/Site Diagrams and Measurements
        undated
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 3, Notes: Hut/Site Diagrams and Measurements, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 2 folder: 4 Folder 4
        Folder 4: Notes: Miscellaneous I
        undated
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 4, Notes: Miscellaneous I, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 2 folder: 5 Folder 5
        Folder 5: Notes: Miscellaneous II
        undated
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 5, Notes: Miscellaneous II, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

  • Sub-Series B
    Sub-Series B: North America
    1975-1977, undated
    Scope and Contents

    This sub-series contains anthropology papers on various topics, including a 1975 paper by Dr. Kent titled "An Analysis of Northwest Coast Combs with Special Emphasis on those from Ozette."

    • Mixed Materials box: 3 Box 3
      Box 3
      • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 1 Folder 1
        Folder 1: "An Analysis of Northwest Catacombs with Special Emphasis on Those From Ozette"
        1975
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 1, "An Analysis of Northwest Catacombs with Special Emphasis on Those From Ozette", 1975, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 2 Folder 2
        Folder 2: Food and Nutrition
        undated
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 2, Food and Nutrition, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 3 Folder 3
        Folder 3: Navajo Indian Irrigation Project - Block II Maps
        undated
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 3, Navajo Indian Irrigation Project - Block II Maps, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 4 Folder 4
        Folder 4: Navajo Indian Irrigation Project - Site 20
        1977 August
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 4, Navajo Indian Irrigation Project - Site 20, 1977 August, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 5 Folder 5
        Folder 5: Navajo Indian Irrigation Project--Site 31
        1977 October
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 5, Navajo Indian Irrigation Project--Site 31, 1977 October, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 6 Folder 6
        Folder 6: Navajo Indian Irrigation Project--Site 32
        1977 October
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 6, Navajo Indian Irrigation Project--Site 32, 1977 October, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

  • Sub-Series C
    Sub-Series C: Data
    1994, undated
    Scope and Contents

    This sub-series contains additional inventories, maps, pictures, and inventories from the 1977 Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, surveys and SAS computer data.

    • Mixed Materials box: 3 Box 3
      Box 3
      • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 7 Folder 7
        Folder 7: Gender Computer Raw Data and Surveys 1994
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 7, Gender Computer Raw Data and Surveys 1994, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 8 Folder 8
        Folder 8: "Nancy" Computer Raw Data
        undated
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 8, "Nancy" Computer Raw Data, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

      • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 9 Folder 9
        Folder 9: Race Computer Modeling--Simulation
        undated
        Preferred Citation

        [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 9, Race Computer Modeling--Simulation, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

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Series III
Series III: Miscellaneous
1987-2002, undated
Scope and Contents

This series includes general correspondence and travel information collected by Dr. Kent.

  • Mixed Materials box: 3 Box 3
    Box 3
    • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 10 Folder 10
      Folder 10: Chobe Game Lodge, Kasane, Botswana
      undated
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 10, Chobe Game Lodge, Kasane, Botswana, undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

    • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 11 Folder 11
      Folder 11: "Concluding Discussion: The Role of Actualism Studies"
      undated
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 11, "Concluding Discussion: The Role of Actualism Studies", undated, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

    • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 12 Folder 12
      Folder 12: Itinerary, Mali Archaeological Tour
      1996 April 17
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 12, Itinerary, Mali Archaeological Tour, 1996 April 17, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

    • Mixed Materials box: 3 folder: 13 Folder 13
      Folder 13: Professional and Personal Correspondence
      1987-2002
      Preferred Citation

      [Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 13, Professional and Personal Correspondence, 1987-2002, Susan Kent Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

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