Antropologist

William Anthony Douglass was born in Reno, Nevada in 1939. He was educated at the University of Nevada, Reno, la Complutense, the University of Oslo, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Chicago. In 1967 he obtained his Doctorate in Social Anthropology from the University of Chicago and in the same year accepted the charge of launching and coordinating the Programme for Basque Studies at the Desert Research Institute of the university system of Nevada. Later he transferred to the University of Nevada, Reno and directed the programme for 33 years until his retirement in 2000.

Starting in 1963, Douglass carried out several years field work in the Basque Country, more especially in Etxalar (Navarre) and Aulestia (Biscay). He also investigated Basque presence in West America, various Latin American countries and Australia. In addition, he undertook Anthropological research in the south of Italy and on themes related to identity and terrorism. Among his many publications are the books Death in Murelaga: the social significance of funerary ritual in a Spanish Basque village (1969), Echalar and Murelaga: opportunity and rural depopulation in two Spanish Basque villages (1973), Amerikanuak: the Basques of the New World (with Jon Bilbao) (1975), Beltran: Basque sheepman of the American West (with Beltran Paris) (1979), Emigration in a south Italian hill town: an anthropological history (1984), Basque sheepherders of the American West (with Richard H. Lane) (1985), From Italy to Ingham: Italians in North Queensland (1995), Terror and taboo: the follies, fables and faces of terrorism (with Joseba Zulaika) (1996), Azucar amargo: vida y fortuna de los cortadores de cana italianos y vascos en la Australia tropical (1996), and La vasconia global: ensayos sobre las diasporas vascas (2004).
In 1984 William Douglass was awarded Doctor honoris causa by the University of the Basque Country, was admitted to Euskaltzaindia, and in 1999 he was awarded the prize Lagun Onari from Eusko Jaurlaritza for his efforts in favour of Basque culture and the Basque people. At present he is Professor emeritus at the Centre of Basque Studies of the University of Nevada, Reno.

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