David W. Plath papers

Collection

Identifier: RG99.0068

No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The David W. Plath papers document the research and field notes covering the period that Plath spent as a professor at the University of Iowa working on his book Sensei and His People: The Building of a Japanese Commune. Material is dated from approximately 1965-1977 and 2008 and includes photographic material, including prints and slides; correspondence; drawings; postcards; and other publications. Photographs predominantly show Japanese people in different settings; other topics include Plath’s publishing work and travels.

Dates

Creation: 1965-1977
Creation: 2008

Language of Materials

Most of the material is in English, with some material in Japanese.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner.  Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives as the source of the material. For further information, visit the Special Collections and Archives website.

Biographical Note

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David William Plath was born in Elgin, Illinois on December 8, 1930 to Ernest and Laura Plath (nee Baumgardt). He attended Northwestern University from 1948-1952, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Plath then joined the US Naval Reserve during the Korean War where he eventually was stationed in a small radio station outside of Yokohama. He entered graduate school at Harvard University, where—after earning a Master of Arts in Anthropology and Far Eastern Studies in 1959—studied in Japan as part of his doctoral work. Plath’s dissertation—originally titled The Strung and the Unstrung; Holidays in Japanese Life (1962)—was published in 1964 as The After Hours: Modern Japan and the Search of Enjoyment ("Plath, David W.," Faculty and Staff Vertical Files Records; William Kelly, 2023).

After graduating from Harvard in 1962, Plath held positions at the University of California, Berkeley (1961-1963), the University of Iowa (1963-1966), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC; 1966-1998). He passed away in November 2022 ("Plath, David W.," Faculty and Staff Vertical Files Records; William Kelly, 2023).

Plath’s publications—which include more than 150 articles, book reviews, and film reviews—included numerous books, including Sensei and His People: The Building of a Japanese Commune (1969), which focused on the Shinkyō commune in Japan’s Kansai region (William Kelly, 2023).

Citations

Kelly, William W. "David William Plath (1930-2022)," Association of Asian Studies, February 8, 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20230209225025/https://www.asianstudies.org/david-william-plath-1930-2022/.

"Plath, David W." Faculty and Staff Vertical Files Records, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa.

"Sensei and His People: The Building of a Japanese Commune." University of California Press. Accessed September 24, 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20260215000715/https://www.ucpress.edu/books/sensei-and-his-people/paper

Full Extent

0.42 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Abstract

University of Iowa professor and anthropologist whose work focused on East Asia. He authored or co-authored numerous works, including Sensei and His People: The Building of a Japanese Commune.

Material consists of photographic material, correspondence, drawings, postcards, and various publications.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Material was initially sent Chiaki Sakai (a former Japanese studies librarian at the University of Iowa) at various times in 2008; this was later transferred to the University Archives in 2008. David W. Plath donated additional material in 2017 August.

Existence and Location of Copies

Select material in this collection has been digitized and is available in the Iowa Digital Library under the digital collection "Anthropology at Iowa".

Related Materials

The University of Illinois Archives at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also houses an identically named collection on David W. Plath.

Processing Information

Museum Studies intern Savannah Waechter processed this collection under the supervision of Collections Archivist Steven Gentry. During processing, materials were arranged in a rough chronological order.