Richard Critchfield was born on March 23, 1931 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  He received his B.A. in Far Eastern Studies from the University of Washing, a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University and did further graduate study at universities in Austria and Northwestern University.  During his career as a journalist, Critchfield reported from all over the world, but concentrated on the Third World and the effects of technological change on culture.  His work as a journalist and a scholar led to the publication of five books relating the effects of technological change on Third World cultures, one book on family history, one book on the effects of technology on farming, and one book on America's view of Great Britain.  Critchfield also published a book on the folklore and legends of Nepal.  He died in 1994 from a stroke.

The materials in this collection cover all aspects of Richard Critchfield's career as a journalist and author.  More of Richard Critchfield's are in an earlier donation to the Institute (Manuscript 156). The State Historical Society of Wisconsin also has approximately twenty-four linear feet of Critchfield's papers (mainly his foreign correspondence).  There are articles and reports he wrote while covering the Third World.  Many of the articles deal with village life and the changes caused by technological advances and social upheaval.  The majority of the articles cover the countries of Africa, India and China with the focus on farming practices, the Green Revolution, and the land distribution of these countries.  Most of the collection relates directly to Critchfield's books.  There are an extensive number of book reviews, not all favorable, of his numerous books.  Much of Critchfield's research for Those Days; Trees, Why Do You Wait?; and Villagers make up the majority of this collection.  Finally there are copies of some of his books including the rare Lore and Legend of Nepal.

Related Collections

Richard Critchfield Papers, Mss 156 (Earlier donation)
Critchfield Family Papers, Mss 210
Richard Critchfield Photograph Collection (Photo2055) 
 

Literary, Music and Theater