Allen R. Maxwell (PhD Yale, 1980) is a cultural anthropologist with research interests in ethnography, social stratification, kinship and social organization, and ethnohistory, with special emphasis on the significance of language data in research. His field work in cultural and linguistic anthropology has been conducted in the Sultanate of Brunei and the Malaysian state of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. Maxwell emphasizes the central role of informants in anthropological research and the extensive use of language data in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of anthropological information. His special interests include Malay oral and manuscript texts, particularly how texts and genealogies can be utilized in the study of ethnohistory, and the use of microcomputers in text processing and analysis. Recently Maxwell has been engaged in field research on the oral traditions of the Malays, the Kayans, the Kenyahs, and a number of the many other minority ethnic groups of Sarawak. This work will continue and focus on the special role of oral traditions and epic texts in the transmission of cultural information from one generation to the next. Maxwell is a strong believer in the importance of students planning and carrying out their own field research projects as an integral part of their graduate training. Prof. Maxwell has published over 40 papers and has presented over 50 papers, based on his extensive field research in Brunei Darussalam Sarawak, peninsular Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam.
Transcript of "In Search of the First Language" video.