Jon Breslar papers
name: label: Creator
content: Cidey, Guy
label: Creator
content: Breslar, Jon, 1949-2005
place: label: Place
content: Mayotte
topic: label: Topic
content: Housing
label: Topic
content: Language and languages -- Documentation
label: Topic
content: Applied anthropology
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: These papers were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Jon Breslar's wife, Bonnie.  A copy of Breslar's dissertation was obtained by his wife and added to the collection at a later date.
creator: label: Creator
content: Cidey, Guy
label: Creator
content: Breslar, Jon, 1949-2005
culture: label: Culture
content: Mahorais
setName: label: See more items in
content: Jon Breslar papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: These papers document Jon Breslar's fieldwork on Mayotte, Comoro Islands for his dissertation as well as his work developing a new housing policy for Mayotte. The collection contains his professional correspondence, field notes, research notes, his writings, writings by others, newspaper clippings, teaching materials for his Shimaore language course, photographs, maps, plant specimens, and sound recordings.
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: Jon Haskell Breslar, a sociocultural and applied anthropologist, was born on June 22, 1949 in Ware, Massachusetts.  He received a B.A. in Anthropology and French in 1971 from Franklin & Marshall College and his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981.  

As a doctoral student, Breslar originally planned to study ethnic identities and relationships in the Lac Alaotra region of Northeast Madgascar.  His plans came to a halt, however, when officials from the Malagasy Embassy informed him that westerners were no longer allowed to conduct long term ethnological research in Madagascar.  As a result, he decided to carry out his research in Mayotte, Comoro Islands.  From 1975 to 1976, Breslar conducted fieldwork in the villages of Sada and M'Zouazia, which led to his dissertation, "An Ethnography of the Mahorais (Mayotte, Comoro Islands)."  He still had not completed his dissertation when, upon the invitation of the French government, he returned to Mayotte for four months from November, 1977 to February, 1978 to develop a new housing policy for the Mahorais as a contractor for Société Immobilière de Mayotte.  He returned to Mayotte again in September, 1978 to January, 1982, this time with his family, to continue work on the project.  A pilot study was conducted and published in a three-volume set, one of which was Breslar's L'Habitat Mahorais: Une Perspective Ethnologique (1979-1982).  The project resulted in the construction of more durable housing using low-cost materials.  

In 1983, he joined the US Agency for International Development (USAID).  During the course of his career at USAID, he was assigned to Nepal, Mali, and Lebanon (where he served as director).  He rose to the diplomatic rank of Minister Counselor and was a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award and the Administrator's Award for Distinguished Career Service.  

Breslar passed away at the age of 56, from lung cancer, on September 3, 2005.

Sources Consulted

Lambek, Michael. "Jon Haskell Breslar." Anthropology News 47.2 (2006): 35.

Chronology

1949 -- Born June 22 in Ware, Massachusetts

1971 -- Earns B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College in Anthropology and French

1975-1976 -- Conducts ethnological fieldwork in Mayotte, Comoro Islands.

1977-1978 -- Returns to Mayotte for four months to help develop new housing policy for the Mahorais as a contractor for Société Immobilière de Mayotte

1978-1982 -- Continues work on Mayotte housing project

1981 -- Earns Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh

1983 -- Joins USAID

1985-1989 -- Serves as USAID Rural Development Officer in Nepal  

1989-1993 -- Serves as USAID Program Officer in Mali

1997 -- Visits Mayotte

2000-2002 -- Serves as Mission Director in Lebanon 

2005 -- Dies on September 3 at the age of 56.

Selected Bibliography

1981 -- Ph.D. dissertation. "An Ethnography of the Mahorais (Mayotte, Comoro Islands)."  University of Pittsburgh.

1979 -- L'Habitat Mahorais: Une Perspective Ethnologique. Paris: Editions A.G.G.

1986 -- with Michael Lambek. "Funerals and Social Change in Mayotte." Madagascar: Society and History.  Durham: Carolina Academic Press.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 7.2 Linear feet (16 boxes, 21 cassette tapes, 12 audio reels, 1 map drawer )
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1870-1984
label: Date
content: bulk 1971-1982
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.2007-04
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Field notes
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Botanical specimens
label: Type
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Type
content: Photographic prints
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Arranged into 8 series: (1) Correspondence, 1971-1989 [Bulk 1971-1978]; (2) Research, 1975-1980; (3) Language, 1979-1982; (4) Writings, 1870-1984 [Bulk 1959-1984]; (5) Photographs, circa 1975-1982; (6) Maps, 1955-1956; (7) Botanical Specimens, circa 1975-1982; (8) Sound Recordings, 1976
processinfo: label: Processing Note
content: The papers of Jon Breslar were received partially organized and loosely grouped into field notes and research notes, correspondence, languages materials, and writings by others.  The processing archivist kept existing groupings and organized the collection into eight series.  Original folder titles were retained with titles assigned by the archivist placed within square brackets.  Paper clips and staples were removed and, when necessary, an acid-free sheet of paper was folded around documents to indicate original groupings. Photographs that were intermixed with other materials were separated and filed with other photographs.  Oversized materials were also separated and placed in oversized storage.  Original and new locations of separated materials have been noted with separation sheets.

The processing archivist would like to thank Dominique Rogers for her assistance.

Processed by Lorain Wang

Encoded by Jocelyn Baltz, June 2012
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Field notes
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Botanical specimens
label: Genre/Form
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographic prints
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content note
content: These papers document Jon Breslar's fieldwork on Mayotte, Comoro Islands for his dissertation as well as his work developing a new housing policy for Mayotte.  The collection contains his professional correspondence, notes, writings, research materials, photographs, maps, plant specimens, and sound recordings.

Among his correspondents in the collection are Georges and Genevieve Boulinier, Michael Lambek, Paul Ottino, and Alexander Spoehr.  The collection also contains his correspondence relating to arrangements for his trip to Mayotte as well as his fieldwork progress reports sent to the Social Science Research Council, which funded his research.

A copy of Breslar's dissertation can be found in the collection along with his field notes; maps; sound recordings of ceremonies and interviews with informants; plant specimens used for medicine; photographic prints; and 35 mm slides.  Materials relating to his work on the Mayotte housing project consist of his research notes, photographs, and the L'Habitat publications produced from the project.

Michael Lambek and Breslar both conducted fieldwork on Mayotte at around the same time and collaborated on two papers: "Death and Politics in Mayotte" (presented at the 1977 76th American Anthropological Association meeting) and "Funerals and Social Change in Mayotte" (1986).  A draft of the first paper can be found filed with Lambek's correspondence while a copy of the second paper is under Series 4. Writings.

In addition to Breslar's writings, the collection contains monographs, articles, and theses on the Comoro Islands and Madagascar by other authors.  Most of the writings are in French and English, but there are also photocopies and photographic prints of a manuscript in Arabic.

Other materials that may be of interest are Breslar's teaching materials for his course on Shimaore.  While in Mayotte, Breslar became fluent in Shimaore and offered a course on the language.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: Four 8mm film reels received with the papers of Jon Breslar have been transferred to the Human Studies Film Archives.  The reels contain footage of a circumcision and other Mayotte rituals and ceremonies.