Bruce Elliot Tapper

Bruce Elliot Tapper (born in the United States) is a Telugu anthropologist and writer. He has published numerous articles on Telugu Society and culture in Andhra Pradesh, and Shadow puppets as a form of entertainment. He lived in a small village called Aripaka, close to Visakhapatnam from 1970-72 to research the year-around traditions of the farmers, fishermen and various other communities in the village.

Education

He obtained his B.A. in anthropology in 1996 and M.A. in Indian studies in 1968, both from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He obtained his Ph.D. in social anthropology in 1976 from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He first conducted research in India as a member of the University of Wisconsin–Madison College year in India Programme 1966-67, at Osmania University, Hyderabad. He was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Grant for his doctoral research in Andhra Pradesh, which he carried out in 1970-72 while affiliated with Andhra University, Waltair (Visakhapatnam).

Career

Dr. Tapper taught social anthropology at the University of Adelaide, South Australia in 1976-77. He then returned to the USA, where he became a seminar associate of the Southern Asian Institute, Columbia University, New York City. After obtaining an M.Sc. in journalism from Columbia University's graduate school of journalism in 1980, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he became a writer, reporter, researcher and editor. He was an editor at the Smithsonian Institution in 1982-84 and has since then been an editor at the Library of Congress.

Publications

Dr. Tapper has published articles on several aspects of Andhra Society, and conducted research and written on traditional Andhra shadow puppetry.

See also

• Rivalry and Tribute: Society and Ritual in a Telugu village in South India
• Shadow Puppets of Andhra Pradesh