About Ruth Behar

Ruth Behar

• Gender: Female
• Astrological Sign: Scorpio

About Ruth

Ruth Behar was born in Havana, Cuba, and grew up in New York City. She received her doctorate in cultural anthropology from Princeton University and has since achieved international recognition for her compassionate stories about her experiences as a traveler in Spain, Mexico, and Cuba. Reviewers say her narratives “tug at the heart” and reveal an artistry that allows her to “capture and share intimate stories while preserving their tellers’ dignity.” Her books include The Presence of the Past in a Spanish Village (1986), Translated Woman: Crossing the Border with Esperanza’s Story (1993), and The Vulnerable Observer: Anthropology That Breaks Your Heart (1996). Her latest book, An Island Called Home: Returning to Jewish Cuba (2007), a blend of memoir, ethnography, and photography, is about her encounter with the Jewish community that remains on the island she left as a child.

Interests

She is co-editor with Deborah Gordon of Women Writing Culture (1996) an exploration of the contributions that women have made to the field of cultural anthropology. Seeking communication between island Cubans and diaspora Cubans she edited Bridges to Cuba/Puentes a Cuba (1996) and more recently with Lucía Suárez co-edited The Portable Island: Cubans at Home in the World (2008). She directed and produced Adio Kerida/Goodbye Dear Love: A Cuban Sephardic Journey (2002) a feature-length documentary distributed by Women Make Movies which has been shown around the world. Behar is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. Among her honors she is the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” Award a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and a Distinguished Alumna Award from Wesleyan University. She created the University of Michigan Semester Abroad Program in Havana Cuba and looks forward to launching this unique and exciting educational adventure which focuses on cultural arts ethnography and documentary traditions.

Webpage

http://www.ruthbehar.com/