Daniel J. Crowley, Professor of Anthropology and Art, Emeritus, died on February 24, 1998. Professor Crowley was a specialist in the arts and folklore of sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. For many years he had been studying the Lenten carnival, Mardi Gras, traveling annually with students to a different country at the beginning of each Lenten season. He died in his sleep on the day of Mardi Gras in the Bolivian town of Oruro.
Dan Crowley was born in Peoria, Illinois, on November 27, 1921, and graduated from Northwestern University in 1943. While serving in the Navy, he contracted poliomyelitis and, as a result, had limited use of his arms and legs throughout his life. Dan became a splendid, and early, role model for the disabled. He spoke candidly of his disability and was a great friend and supporter of many disabled people. His wheelchair never deterred him from visiting the most remote mountain village or attending conferences in out-of-the-way spots. Stories of Dan's indefatigability as a traveler are legion. He journeyed across the Sahara by car, sailed close to both the North and South Poles, traveled overland across Siberia by train and car, and circumnavigated the globe nine times. His accomplishments as a traveler were complemented by his skill as a raconteur, and his friends and students were regularly regaled by his marvelous accounts of such diverse topics as North African marketplaces, Siberian train conductors, and Bolivian woodcarvers.
Crowley attained his Ph.D. at Northwestern University in 1956, working under the supervision of the well known Africanist, Melville Herskovits. He was appointed Assistant Professor at UC Davis in 1961 and retired from his professorship in 1992. He served as founding director of the Education Abroad Program Center at the University of Ghana, and was appointed at various times to teach at University of Texas, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and universities in Australia, Trinidad, and India.
Professor Crowley made scholarly contributions to the study of folklore, ethnography, Caribbean studies and art history. He began doing fieldwork in Nassau in the Bahamas in 1952 and recorded Bahamian folk tales which bore striking similarities to some West African tales. Thus began a lifelong interest in the cultural expressions of the African diaspora. His thesis, I Could Talk Old-Story Good: Creativity in Bahamian Folklore (UC Press, Folklore Series, No. 25, 1966 reprinted 1983) is widely regarded as a classic in folklore studies. After working in the Bahamas, Crowley worked in Trinidad, returning there many times to do research. His 1956 paper, "Plural and Differential Acculturation in Trinidad," is an essential work for anyone studying the cultures of the Caribbean. In 1960 he did research in the Congo, where he studied woodcarvings and textiles and the role of the artist. Crowley continued to study the arts in the intellectual tradition of the great German-American anthropologist Franz Boas. He eschewed grand theory in favor of the collection of cultural materials, and his collections of folktales are a rich source of material for students of Africa and the Americas.
Dan's scholarship was integrally tied to his interest in travel. His trips to distant parts of the world enabled him to collect art, visit museums, and observe the cultural settings in which art and folklore are produced. In the best tradition of anthropology, he was interested in the ways in which uncelebrated and anonymous "little people" contribute to the production of culture. This led to a fascination with folk arts and to an anthropological perspective on creativity. His writings were frequently based on his travels and were as numerous as the trips themselves--over 350 articles and reviews and four books.
Not long after his first visit to Trinidad, Dan's intellectual ties to the island became family ties, for it was there that he met Pearl Ramcharan, who later became his wife and traveling companion of more than 40 years. Dan's devotion to Pearl and to their three accomplished children, Peter, Eve, and Maggie, was at the core of his life. The Crowley home in Davis was visited by scores of students and colleagues, all of whom were entertained with warmth and generosity. Guests took particular delight in having Dan show them his extensive collection of textiles, ceramics, woodcarvings, and jewelry.
Dan was an enthusiastic and beloved teacher on the Davis campus. His courses dealt with folklore and Caribbean studies, as well as with the arts of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands. When he showed slides to students and took them on field trips to his home or to museums, he taught them that art is something that really matters. They saw in his classes, often for the first time, a wide variety of objets d'art that left them with a profound sense that, although the creations may be very different, all human societies are concerned with aesthetics. This insight inspired many students to earn advanced degrees in art and anthropology. During his career at Davis, Dan trained a goodly number of graduate students who have gone on to academic careers, and he served as an inspiration to many others. When students worked with him, the line between academic advisor and close friend always became blurred.
Endowed with an exceptional sense of humor and a remarkably positive view of the human condition, Dan Crowley rarely engaged in criticism of the work of others; by the same token, he was a master at disarming his critics with a kind word or a friendly jest. He was beloved and admired by his students, and his quick wit and kindness made him a good friend to his colleagues and many others throughout the world. He will be remembered with great fondness.
Richard Curley