William Beeman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| William Beeman | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | William Beeman | |
| Born | ??? Manhattan, Kansas |
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| Genre(s) | Opera Blues Spirituals Country blues Jazz |
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| Occupation(s) | Professor, musician | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals | |
William Orman Beeman is an actor, author, singer, and professor of anthropology at The University of Minnesota, where he is Chair of the Department of Anthropology. For many years he was Professor of Anthropology; Theatre, Speech and Dance; and East Asian Studies at Brown University. Born in Manhattan, Kansas, Beeman was the recipient of an award named in honour of opera baritone, George London. From 1996-1999 Beeman sang under contract with Oper Chemnitz in the German city of Chemnitz. He authored the book: The Third Line: The Opera Performer as Interpreter with renowned opera stage director Daniel Helfgot.
[edit] Background
Beeman was trained as a linguistic anthropologist at Wesleyan University and the University of Chicago. He gained fame through his extensive writing, having authored several books and more than 100 scholarly articles on communication dynamics in the United States, Iran, Japan and South Asia. His Language, Status and Power in Iran has become a classic, as has his Culture, Performance and Communication in Iran. His most recent work,The “Great Satan” vs. the “Mad Mullahs”: How the United States and Iran Demonize Each Other, dealing with the negative discourse and rhetoric between Iran and the United States for the past 30 years has had enormous influence on national attitudes toward the Bush administration's attacks on Iran, and the possibility of military conflict between the two nations.
An important aspect of his work has been the study of non-Western theatrical traditions, particularly the Iranian ritual passion drama, ta'ziyeh and the comic improvisatory theatre tradition, ru-howzi. His interest in the art world is also shown in his contribution to the co-authored volume Object, Image and Inquiry: The Art Historian at Work. A compendium of his publications available for free download and his curriculum vitae can be accessed at his academic home page. He has authored more than 500 opinion pieces and media essays, many of which can be found at his blog: Culture and International Affairs.
An admirer of the late anthropologist, Margaret Mead, Beeman has edited seven volumes of her post-World War II papers, having written scholarly introductions for several of them, including The Study of Culture at a Distance, and Studying Contemporary Western Society: Method and Theory.
[edit] Trivia
A well-known critic of the George W. Bush presidential administration, as well as earlier administrations on Middle East Policy. His book The "Great Satan" vs. the "Mad Mullahs": How the United States and Iran Demonize Each Other has influenced U.S. policy toward Iran.[citation needed]
Beeman also gained notoriety for an infamous public spat with Michael Leeden of the American Enterprise Institute on American foreign policy.
