Brigitte Jordan
| Brigitte Jordan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Passau, Germany |
| Died | May 24, 2016 La Honda, California |
| Nationality | German American |
| Education |
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1970-2015 |
| Known for | Ethnographic Research in Anthropology of Reproduction |
| Notable work | Birth in Four Cultures |
| Family | Robert Irwin (husband) |
| Awards |
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Brigitte Jordan was a German-American professor, scientist, and consultant who was described as the midwife to the "Anthropology of Birth." She attended Sacramento State College where she received her Masters degree, and later attended University of California, Irvine where she completed her PhD.
Brigitte "Gitti" Jordan was born in Passau, Germany. After marrying an American soldier stationed in Germany, Jordan came to the United States. There, she gave birth to three children, and later divorced and married Robert Irwin. Jordan has been praised by anthropologist Rayna Rapp for her authoritative knowledge of childbirth. Rapp stated "Jordan uses her exquisite sense of description to birth a theoretical framework."
Brigitte Jordan contributed to the field of anthropology by opening her own consulting practice where she held appointments as the Principal Scientist at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and as Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Research on Learning. This led to her receiving the Excellence in Science and Technology Award from the Xerox Corporation for innovative work.
In 2015, Jordan was inducted into the American Anthropological Association's (AAA) Distinguished Member program which honors members who have loyally supported the Association for 50 years or more.
Jordan died of pancreatic cancer in her home on May 24, 2016. She lived to be 78, leaving behind her husband, three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Although Jordan had pancreatic cancer, she made it known to others that she did not want to be treated as incapable because of her condition. Jordan refused medical medication and remained mentally and intellectually active until the end of her life. She continued to live life in a normalized manner, and helped form her obituary.
Jordan received the Margaret Mead Award in 1980 for her 1978 book Birth in Four Cultures: A Crosscultural Investigation of Childbirth in Yucatan, Holland, Sweden, and the United States. Jordan's work is credited with inspiring a range of responses within the field of reproductive anthropology that integrated her approaches to her examinations of the social, cultural and biological implications of birth around the world. She is known for showing how knowledge can be "laterally distributed," shared by all, and understood by all.
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