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Oswald Werner (1928- ) Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 11/3/2/6

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The Oswald Werner Papers fill forty-one boxes and span the years 1959 to 2007. They are arranged into six major categories: biographical materials, correspondence, Northwestern University general files, Northwestern University teaching materials, grants files, and publications.

Biographical materials fill about one box. Included are items of a general nature, vitae, correspondence concerning Werner's Northwestern appointment, and files pertaining to his graduate education at Syracuse and Indiana.

Correspondence forms a considerable portion of the papers, about eleven boxes. The correspondence files are divided into three components: a straight chronological run which spans the period 1964-1994, a series of subject files (1962-1991), and a collection of Werner's letters of recommendation for students and colleagues. The recommendations date between 1976 and 1987.

Northwestern University files cover the period 1965-1992. General Northwestern files, more than three boxes, largely pertain to the administrative affairs of the Anthropology Department. Prominent among these files are materials relating to the 1989 departmental review and to the work of the Department's Futures Committee in the late 1970s. The activities of the Ethnographic Field School and of the Program in Ethnography and Public Policy also are documented here.

Werner's Northwestern teaching materials, filling more than four boxes and dating between 1965 and 1991, include curricular items such as syllabi, examinations, grade records, and student papers. Especially well covered are Werner's B15 and C61 courses relating to linguistic anthropology.

Grants files span the years from 1964 to 1989. Included are correspondence, notes and reports on Werner's funded research projects. The files occupy slightly more than six boxes.

Werner's publications files form the largest portion of the papers, more than fourteen boxes. The files date from 1962 to 1994 and include materials ranging from abbreviated notes to publication drafts. Occasionally found here are reprints and photocopies of Werner's published writings. Pertinent correspondence is sometimes included.

Dates

  • 1959-2007

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection may contain sensitive materials; consultation with University Archivist required prior to use.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is stored at a remote campus location and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.

Extent

41.00 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oswald Werner joined the faculty of Northwestern in 1963 and remained until his retirement in 1998. His research focused on linguistics as well as cultural anthropology, particularly as they related to the Navajo. The Oswald Werner Papers fill forty-one boxes and span the years 1959 to 2007. They are arranged into six major categories: biographical materials, correspondence, Northwestern University general files, Northwestern University teaching materials, grants files, and publications.

Arrangement Note

The papers are arranged into six major categories: biographical materials; correspondence (general correspondence arranged chronologically, subject correspondence arranged alphabetically, and recommendations arranged alphabetically by first letter of surname); Northwestern University general files (arranged by topical headings in alphabetical order); Northwestern University teaching materials (mostly arranged sequentially by course number and thereafter by date of course, with materials not pertinent to a specific course topically arranged); grants files (arranged alphabetically by name of granting agency or of project); and publications (arranged alphabetically by the title of publication).

Method of Acquisition

Oswald Werner donated his papers to the University Archives in four accessions between 1995 and 1997: 95-202, 96-70, 96-78 and 97-19.

Separated Materials

About eight linear feet of duplicates, extraneous items, and water damaged materials have been discarded. Five audio recordings of meetings of the Anthropology Department Futures Committee have been separated to the University Archives' audio collection under item numbers AC 1086 through AC 1090.

Processing Information

Nathan Youngblood, Robert Carlton, Michael Szajewski and Elizabeth Cummings; January-July, 2007.

Title
Guide to the Oswald Werner (1928- ) Papers
Author
Nathan Youngblood, Robert Carlton, Michael Szajewski and Elizabeth Cummings
Date
01/01/2007
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Library Details

Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository

Contact:
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635