Subject: [fem-women2000 757] Women's Globalnet #182: Perdita Huston, feminist activist and writer die
From: iwtc <iwtc@iwtc.org>
Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2001 00:20:52 +0000
Seq: 757

IWTC WOMEN'S GLOBALNET #182
Initiatives and Activities of Women Worldwide
By Anne S. Walker

December 5, 2001

PERDITA HUSTON, FEMINIST ACTIVIST, WRITER, DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATOR AND 
HUMANITARIAN DIES  

Perdita Huston  (1936-2001),  the journalist whose pioneering books on 
women in less developed societies have informed development policies 
since the 1960s, died December 4, 2001 at her Silver Springs home. The 
cause was ovarian cancer.

Beginning with her involvement in the Algerian war for independence, 
Perdita reported on the social consequences of conflict and the emerging 
global trends of the post colonial period. Her early work interviewing 
rural women in less developed countries resulted in two books, "Message 
from the Village" (1977) and "Third World Women Speak Out" (1978) and 
led the way for scholars and development professionals to better 
understand the situation and potential of women and their families. Her 
articles and books are based on interviews with ordinary people and thus 
give voice to the views of those affected by the major social, political 
and environmental issues of our time.

A native of Maine, USA, Perdita completed her university studies at the 
Ecole des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Paris. In 1977 she joined the 
Peace Corps staff as Regional Director for North Africa, Near East, Asia 
and the Pacific. In 1981 she was appointed Scholar in Residence at 
Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts and was subsequently asked to 
initiate the Population and Sustainable Development program at the World 
Conservation Union in Gland, Switzerland. There too, she focused 
attention on women's roles and organized the first international women's 
meeting on environmental management. When Director of Public Affairs of 
the International Planned Parenthood Federation in London, Perdita wrote 
a history of the early pioneers of family planning in 12 countries 
entitled "Motherhood by Choice" (1991. The book was based on interviews 
with the activists themselves or their co-workers. Following the success 
of this book, Perdita spent 5 years traveling to 11 nations interviewing 
three generations of families for her latest book, "Families As We Are: 
Conversations from Around the World" (2001). Published in the spring of 
2001, the book was launched in New York at a special celebration at the 
United Nations. In the midst of writing this book, Perdita returned to 
the Peace Corps as Country Director for its programs in Mali and then 
Bulgaria. 

Perdita was a loving and much-loved wife, mother and grandmother and 
leaves behind two daughters, one son, and four grandchildren. Our 
sympathy goes out to her family, who shared Perdita with all of us 
throughout her life. She will be sorely missed.

The United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (UNANCA) has 
created the "Perdita Huston Human Rights Fund" in support of human 
rights with special attention to women's human rights. Checks, made 
payable to UNANCA, can be sent to: UNANCA, 1808 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 
Suite 101, Washington, DC 20009, USA.

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