Sherry Ortner

Sherry Beth Ortner (born September 19, 1941) is an American cultural anthropologist.

Sherry Beth Ortner (born September 19, 1941) is an American cultural anthropologist.

Sherry Beth Ortner (born September 19, 1941) is an American cultural anthropologist.

Her first and most notable article in this area, “Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture?” (1972/1974), has been translated into 10 languages and has been reprinted in 25 different collections.

Ortner is well known for her contributions to social theory. Drawing on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, Anthony Giddens, and Marshall Sahlins, she sought to develop her own version of practice theory, a theory that emphasizes that both social continuity and social transformation are the products of the practices of real people in real times and places.

She has taught at Sarah Lawrence College (1970-77); the University of Michigan (1977-94); the University of California, Berkeley (1994-96); Columbia University (1996-2004); and, since 2004, the University of California, Los Angeles.

She received her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College in 1962 and went on to study anthropology at the University of Chicago, where she received her M.A. in 1966, and her Ph.D. in 1970.

She has taught at Sarah Lawrence College (1970-77); the University of Michigan (1977-94); the University of California, Berkeley (1994-96); Columbia University (1996-2004); and, since 2004, the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ortner's doctoral research, ethnography conducted between 1966 and 1968 in the Khumbu region of Nepal focused on rituals of religion and ordinary social life of the Sherpa community.

Ortner's doctoral research, ethnography conducted between 1966 and 1968 in the Khumbu region of Nepal focused on rituals of religion and ordinary social life of the Sherpa community.

Looking at the intersection of race, class, and gender, Ortner's recent research has focused not only on the question of the attainability of the so-called American dream, but how patriarchy and racism intersect with capitalism, and how these intersections are both experienced and represented.

Looking at the intersection of race, class, and gender, Ortner's recent research has focused not only on the question of the attainability of the so-called American dream, but how patriarchy and racism intersect with capitalism, and how these intersections are both experienced and represented.