Dr. Frederique Marglin

🪔 About

Frédérique Apffel-Marglin is a Professor Emerita of Anthropology, known for her extensive scholarly work, particularly on the Mahari tradition of Odissi dance. She received her B.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Brandeis University in 1973 and 1980, respectively. Apffel-Marglin lived in India starting in the mid-1960s, where she initially studied Indian Classical Dance (Odissi style). She trained in Odissi with Guru Surendranath Jena to a performance standard. In the mid-1970s, she conducted her foundational field research among the temple dancers, known as Maharis, of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. This research culminated in her influential book, "Wives of the God-King: The Rituals of the Devadasis of Puri," published in 1985, which significantly contributed to the understanding of the Mahari tradition. Beyond her work in India, Apffel-Marglin has had a distinguished academic career, teaching at institutions such as Smith College, Harvard University, Wellesley College, and Wesleyan University. From 1985 to 1991, she served as a research advisor at the World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) in Helsinki, an affiliate of the United Nations University. Since 1994, she has been involved in collaborative work with non-governmental organizations in Peru and Bolivia, focusing on biocultural diversity and regeneration. In 2009, she founded the Sachamama Center for Biocultural Regeneration (SCBR) in the Peruvian High Amazon, a non-profit organization dedicated to regenerating local forests, indigenous agriculture, and culture. She has authored or co-authored numerous books and articles on topics including ritual, gender, political ecology, and critiques of development. Awards & Honours: MacArthur Grant.