Charles "Biff" F. Keyes (1937-2022) was first appointed to the University of Washington Anthropology Department in 1965 where he worked until his official retirement in 2006, although he continued teaching part-time until 2011. He received a B.A. degree in Anthropology and Mathematics from the University of Nebraska. In 1959, and a Ph.D., in Anthropology from Cornell University in 1967. At UW, he served as the chair of the department of Anthropology from 1985-1990 and 2007 and co-founded and directed the Southeast Asia Center (also known as the Center for Southeast Asian Studies) from 1986-1997. His teaching specialties were in the anthropological study of religion; Theravada Buddhism and society; ethnicity; and ethnographic field methods; primarily of mainland Southeast Asia. His field research focused on Thailand, and was conducted between 1962 and 2014, often with Jane Keyes, his wife, as co-researcher. In addition to his time in Thailand, Keyes also worked with institutions in Vietnam and was a visiting professor teaching in Denmark, Sweden, Japan, and Los Angeles. He also a prominent voice in academic programming about Asia from the Ford Foundation and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC). As a supporter of UW Libraries, Keyes donated over 4,000 volumes, films and manuscripts pertaining to Thailand, ensuring his research and collections were made available digitally. In 2001, he was elected as President of the Association for Asian Studies. Keyes passed away from complications with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) in January 2022.
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Organized into 13 accessions.
Field notes, research materials, academic writings, photographs
Research materials accumulated by University of Washington Anthropologist, Charles F. Keyes. The primary focus is on the religion, ethnic groups and history of northeastern Thailand.
Open to all users, but access to portions of the papers restricted. Contact repository for details.
Some material stored offsite; advance notice required for use.
The creators' literary rights have not been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Some material stored offsite; advance notice is required for use.
Some material stored offsite; advance notice is required for use.
Some material stored offsite; advance notice is required for use.
Some material stored offsite; advance notice is required for use.
Some material stored offsite; advance notice is required for use.
Some material stored offsite; advance notice is required for use.