Finding Aids

South Asia

Bogue, Donald J. Papers

Donald J. Bogue (1918-2014) was a demographer and longtime University of Chicago Professor of Sociology. The Donald J. Bogue Papers document his life in Chicago and his international work in Latin American, Asian, and African countries. They contain personal material, correspondence, writings, research materials, files pertaining to the University of Chicago research centers, photographs, a small amount of audiovisual material, and miscellaneous artifacts.

Buckingham and Carnatic Mills Photograph Collection

Nineteen photographic prints of the facilities at Buckingham Mills Company in Chennai, India (formerly Madras).

Buitenen, J. A. B. van. Papers

J. A. B. van Buitenen was a professor of Sanskrit and Indic Studies at the University of Chicago from 1957 to 1979. The collection contains personal ephemera, professional correspondence, notebooks, notes and typescripts for articles and books, photographs, and materials relating to van Buitenen's time as a professor at the University. Most of the materials date between 1955 and 1973, with some undated material.

Buitenen, J. A. B. van. Papers

J. A. B. van Buitenen was a professor of Sanskrit and Indic Studies at the University of Chicago from 1957 to 1979. The collection contains personal ephemera, professional correspondence, notebooks, notes and typescripts for articles and books, photographs, and materials relating to van Buitenen's time as a professor at the University. Most of the materials date between 1955 and 1973, with some undated material.

Carlson, LeRoy T. Papers

LeRoy T. Carlson (1916- ) graduated from the College at the University of Chicago in 1938, going on to earn his M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1941. He served with the Persian Gulf Command during World War II, helping secure supply lines to Russia in Iran. From 1942 to 1943, he worked as an assistant treasurer at the General Motors plant in Calcutta, India. Carlson founded Telephone and Data Systems in 1970, a Fortune 500 company, and has maintained a relationship with the University of Chicago, sponsoring the LeRoy T. and Margaret Deffenbaugh Carlson University Professorship. The bulk of his collection contains materials from his time spent abroad during the years 1942 to 1944.

Chandrasekhar, Lalitha. Papers

Lalitha Chandrasekhar (1910-2013) was married to Nobel Prize winning astrophysicist and longtime University of Chicago professor Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. She was born in Madras, India and spent much of her childhood there. The Chandrasekhars moved to Williams Bay, Wisconsin in late 1936 when he accepted a position at the University of Chicago's Yerkes Observatory. They remained there until 1964, when they moved to Chicago. The Lalitha Chandrasekhar Papers document her life in Williams Bay and Chicago and her travels, mostly in India, the United States, and Europe. They contain personal material such as ephemera from arts organizations and extensive clippings files; correspondence; detailed diaries and chronological files; writing, including essays and notes for talks; material documenting her involvement with progressive political campaigns and contributions to organizations promoting various social justice causes; photographs, negatives, and a small amount of other audiovisual material; and miscellaneous artifacts and framed items.

Chandrasekhar, Subrahmanyan. Papers

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995), Astrophysicist, Nobel Prize winner. The Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Papers contains personal and professional correspondence, notes, manuscripts, offprints, lecture notes, scientific writings, records of the Astrophysical Journal, awards, honorary degrees, biographical material, photographs, and sound and video recordings. The Papers span Chandrasekhar's career and document his student years at Cambridge University, his teaching career at the University of Chicago, scientific research and writing in astrophysics, editing of the Astrophysical Journal, and connections with family members and friends in India. The Papers document the development of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Yerkes Observatory, and provide much information on colleagues and students from the late 1930s to the early 1990s.

Cohn, Bernard. Papers

Bernard Cohn (1928-2003), Anthropologist, spent the bulk of his professional life at the University of Chicago. Cohn first came to the University of Chicago as a postdoctoral fellow in 1957 and returned in 1964 to join the faculty. In the intervening years, Cohn conducted research in India and served as chairman of anthropology at the University of Rochester. An expert on British colonialism in India, Cohn was among the first anthropologists to integrate historical study into his ethnographic research. The Bernard Cohn Papers consist mainly of materials related to his writings, both published and unpublished. These materials include: drafts and typescripts, research notes, and a small collection of related correspondence.

Day, Warren J. Papers

This collection contains the papers of Warren J. Day. It primarily consists of documents pertaining to the 1970 Bhola cyclone in Bangladesh. The collection includes documents related to Bangladesh from the Emergency Relief Organization and the Airlift of Understanding, English-language newspapers and magazines, and general reference material published by government and nongovernmental organizations. The collection dates from 1963 to 1997, with the bulk of the material dating between 1970 and 1973.

Dimock, Edward C. Papers

Edward C. Dimock (1929-2001), linguist and scholar of Asian Studies. Professor, University of Chicago, 1959-1989. Papers include drafts of articles, manuscripts of language textbooks and correspondence with colleagues and students.

DuBois, Cora. Papers

Cora DuBois (1903-1991), Anthropologist. The Papers were compiled during the eleven years DuBois spent in India collecting information about socio-cultural change in Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

Geertz, Clifford. Papers

Clifford Geertz (1926-2006,) anthropologist. The papers include fieldnotes, records of his career as a professor at the University of Chicago from 1960 to 1970, and papers connected to his long tenure at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Also included are Geertz' prolific correspondence with fellow social scientists and his former students as well as academic sources for his research and drafts of writings and lectures.

Gunther, John. Papers

John Gunther, journalist and writer. The John Gunther Papers consist of different draft versions of Gunther's books along with correspondence, articles, and notes related to these projects. Papers related to Chicago Revisited.

Jones, Wellington D. Papers

Wellington Downing Jones (1886-1957) Professor of Geography, 1913-1945. The bulk of the collection is photographs taken by Jones on research trips to China, India, Japan, and South America and at the University of Chicago. Also includes research materials, correspondence, notes, reports, student work, and marked maps of the Chicagoland area. Materials date from 1909 to 1948, with the bulk dating between 1909 and 1929.

Lach, Donald F. Papers

Contains the papers of Donald F. Lach, Professor of History at the University of Chicago from 1948 to 1988. Most of the material relates to his work on the influence of Asia on Enlightenment-era Europe, specifically the three volume, nine book Asia in the Making of Europe. The material spans the years 1925-2001, with the bulk dating from 1960 to 1990.

Leites, Nathan. Papers

Nathan Leites (1912-1987) a political scientist who applied the tools of psychoanalysis to the study of culture and politics, with particular specialization in the Soviet politburo. The collection includes correspondence and memoranda, draft seminar and research papers, research notes and notecards, and syllabi and course materials, mainly related to the politics and cultures of the Soviet Union, Europe, Thailand, Burma, and Japan.

Mayer, Albert A. Papers

Albert Mayer (1897-1981) architect and city planner. The Albert Mayer Papers on India are a collection of personal papers, correspondence, reports, and reference materials which Mayer assembled in the course of his rural development and urban planning work in India. The three largest divisions of the Papers contain materials on the Pilot Development Project carried out at Etawah and other districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh, materials on Mayer's architectural and planning projects, and reference and background materials on development and planning in India. Mayer's papers on India represent only part of a long and varied career.

Nash, Manning. Papers

Manning Nash (1924-2001), anthropologist, taught at the University of Chicago from 1957 through 1994, first as an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Business (1957-1968) and then as a member of the Anthropology Department (1968-1994). An expert on economic and social modernization in developing nations, Nash carried out fieldwork in such places as: Guatemala, Mexico, Burma, Iran, and Malaysia. The Manning Nash Papers consist largely of Nash's field notes and research findings. Additionally, they contain a small collection of teaching materials and a moderately sized series devoted to Nash's writings.

Rala, Punci. Medicinal Book

Handwritten collection in Pali/Sinhalese, of Sri Lankan folk medicine. On 57 palm leaves.

Ramanujan, A.K. Papers

Attipat Krishnaswami Ramanujan (1929-1993) was a poet, folklorist, linguist, and translator based at the University of Chicago. Ramanujan translated the classical and modern literature of South Asia, as well as folk tales and songs. As a poet, Ramanujan wrote primarily in English, often on transcultural themes. The A.K. Ramanujan Papers span 1944-1995 and contain correspondence, teaching materials, manuscripts, publications, diaries, photographs, audio and video recordings, and digital media.

Rudolph, Lloyd and Susanne. Papers

Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph were professors of political science at the University of Chicago and close collaborators throughout their careers. The couple specialized in South Asian politics, history, and culture, and in 2014 were joint recipients of the Padma Bhushan Award, one of India’s highest civilian honors. The collection includes personal ephemera; correspondence; research materials, files related to the creation and publication of the Rudolphs’ writings; administrative and teaching materials from the University of Chicago; photographs, microfilm, and audio recordings; an award and plaque, and oversized materials. Materials in the collection date between 1900 and 2014, with the bulk of the materials dating between 1950 and 2004. The papers document the interconnectedness of Susanne and Lloyd Rudolph’s personal and professional lives.

Sen, Mrinal. Papers

Mrinal Sen (1923-2018) was a producer and director of the parallel cinema movement in India and Bangladesh. The collection contains papers and press clippings, including those about the damage to and restoration of his early films. Included in the collection are photographs, correspondence, and documents for Gita Shome Sen, an actress and wife of Mrinal Sen as well as some correspondence of his son, Kunal Sen. The documents and correspondence in this collection are written primarily in English and Bengali.

Silverberg, James. Papers

James Silverberg, Professor of Anthropology department at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. As a graduate student he accompanied Gitel P. Steed on the Columbia University Research in Contemporary India Field Project. The bulk of the papers are related to the India Field Project. Additionally, there are files regarding the creation and organization of the Steed archive. There is also a small collection of Silverberg's writings and correspondence.

Singer, Milton. Papers

Milton Singer (1912-1994) anthropologist. The Papers document Singer's career as Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago, including his role in the Redfield Comparison of Cultures Project and his scholarship as an expert on India and on semiotic anthropology. Collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, notes, course materials, photographs and audio and video recordings.

Steed, Gitel P. Papers

Gitel P. Steed (1914-1977), anthropologist. Consists primarily of research data from the Columbia University Research in Contemporary India Field Project, directed by Steed from 1949 to 1951. Data were collected from three villages in western and northern India and include life histories of informants, psychological tests, typed notes, field notebooks, photographs, genealogies, transcripts of interviews, and art work by researchers and villagers. Contains research notes collected by project participants James Silverberg, G. Morris Castairs, and Grace Langley. Also includes data from fieldwork projects on the Inuit of Greenland and Chinese immigrants in New York City, lectures, and publications about the India Project by Steed and other scholars. Also contains some of Steed's India photographs that were included in Edward Steichen's 1955 exhibit, The Family of Man.

University of Chicago. Philippine Studies Program. Records

The University of Chicago Philippine Studies Program Records document the Program's activities from its founding in 1953 under the directorship of Fred Eggan to its closing at his retirement in 1977. The records consist of annual reports, correspondence, project files, field notes and manuscripts from both American and Filipino anthropologists, publications of the Program, and unpublished manuscripts and microfilm from the Philippine Studies Program Library.

University of Chicago. South Asia Language and Area Center. Records

The University of Chicago. South Asia Languages and Area Center Records contain four technical reports on the center, covering the years 1963-1971.