author
Laura Estelle Watson Benedict
1861–1932
An early American anthropologist and folklorist, she is remembered for pioneering fieldwork among the Bagobo people in the Philippines and for turning that research into vivid studies of ritual, myth, and daily life.
1 Audiobook
Philippine Folk-Tales
by Clara Kern Bayliss, Laura Estelle Watson Benedict, Fletcher Gardner, Berton L. (Berton Lewis) Maxfield, W. H. Millington
About the author
Laura Estelle Watson Benedict was born in Delhi, New York, on May 5, 1861, and became an American anthropologist, folklorist, and writer. She studied at the University of Chicago, earning her degree later than many of her classmates, and went on to pursue graduate work in anthropology.
She is best known for her research in the southern Philippines, where she carried out fieldwork among the Bagobo people in the early 1900s. Her writing helped introduce English-language readers to Bagobo ceremonial life, beliefs, and folklore, and her major work A Study of Bagobo Ceremonial, Magic and Myth remains closely associated with her name.
Benedict also contributed to collections of folk literature, including Philippine Folk-Tales. She died in 1932, and her reputation today rests on being one of the early women in American anthropology who combined careful observation with a strong interest in storytelling and traditional culture.