Roy Richard Grinker
Encyclopedia
Roy Richard Grinker is an author and Professor of Anthropology
, International Affairs
, and Human Sciences at The George Washington University
.
Grinker is an authority on North
and South Korea
n relations. He also spent two years living with the Lese farmers and the Efé pygmies
in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
as a Fulbright scholar, and has conducted epidemiological research on autism in Korea.
Grinker is also editor of Anthropological Quarterly
.
. He graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall
in 1979, Grinnell College
in 1983, and received his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology
at Harvard University
in 1989.
His paternal grandfather, Roy R. Grinker, Sr. founded the psychiatry department at the University of Chicago
and was the founding editor of the Archives of General Psychiatry
.
His book on autism, Unstrange Minds
, was in part an "attempt to make sense of an intensely personal issue: his own daughter's autism."
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, International Affairs
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
, and Human Sciences at The George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
.
Grinker is an authority on North
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n relations. He also spent two years living with the Lese farmers and the Efé pygmies
Efé
The Efé are a group of part-time hunter-gatherer people living in the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the depths of the forest they do not wear much clothing, using only leaf huts as shelter for their bodies in the intense heat. The Efé are Pygmies, and one of the shortest...
in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
as a Fulbright scholar, and has conducted epidemiological research on autism in Korea.
Grinker is also editor of Anthropological Quarterly
Anthropological Quarterly
Anthropological Quarterly is a widely read peer-reviewed journal covering topics in social and cultural anthropology.Anthropological Quarterly was founded in 1921 by The Catholic University of America and was published by The Catholic University of America Press from 1921 to 1953 under the name...
.
Personal life
Grinker was born and raised in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut...
in 1979, Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
in 1983, and received his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1989.
His paternal grandfather, Roy R. Grinker, Sr. founded the psychiatry department at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and was the founding editor of the Archives of General Psychiatry
Archives of General Psychiatry
Archives of General Psychiatry is a monthly professional medical journal published by the American Medical Association. Archives of General Psychiatry publishes original, peer reviewed articles about psychiatry, mental health, behavioral sciences and related fields. It is the psychiatric journal...
.
His book on autism, Unstrange Minds
Unstrange Minds
Unstrange Minds is a nonfiction book by anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker about the rise in autism diagnoses throughout the world over the last twenty years. It provides a cultural history of autism and describes the experiences of parents of children with autism in the United States, South...
, was in part an "attempt to make sense of an intensely personal issue: his own daughter's autism."