Jerome Harvey Barkow

BARKOW, Jerome Harvey (Jerry)

Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, passed away peacefully from cancer of the esophagus on April 30, 2024, at his Halifax home. Jerry was born January 18, 1944, to the late Philip and Betty (Gendler) Barkow of Brooklyn, New York. Jerry was predeceased by his brother, Bob, survived by Diane.

Jerry leaves behind his beloved wife of 45 years, Irma Juuti; his much loved son Philip V. Barkow; dearly cherished daughter Sarah Barkow, her husband Joshua Kalb and his incredible and adored grandchildren Evelyn and Simon. He is survived by his nephews Scott (Debbie) and Lonny (Hemisha); his great-niece Alexis and great-nephews Josh, Jake and Max; sister-in-laws Rita (Gerry) and Leila (Larry), and a number of well-loved cousins.

Jerry received his BA (Phi Beta Kappa) Psychology, Brooklyn College (CUNY) and, after a stint working for the NYC Department of Welfare, an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago’s Committee on Human Development. Though his degrees and training were multidisciplinary, Jerry was an anthropologist and was part of the team that founded the Canadian Ethnology Society, serving as the “past president” during the organization’s first year.

Jerry did fieldwork among Hausa speakers in Nigeria and in Niger, and the Bugis of Indonesia. He taught anthropology at Halifax’s Dalhousie University for 37 years. He was also honorary professor at Queen’s University Belfast. His publications span 57 years, including multiple books. He moonlighted by conducting contract research on health care delivery systems in Nova Scotia. He is best known as a student of the evolution of human behavior and a pioneer in evolutionary psychology.

In his seventies, Jerry combined his life-long love of science fiction with his understanding of evolution to write about extraterrestrial psychologies. Building on this, Jerry was a member of the Board of Directors of METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence).

Among friends and colleagues, Jerry was the garlic guy, growing and distributing the crop widely. He had a love of folk music, bad jokes and enjoyed his weekly visits to the farmer's market.

He also served on Dalhousie's Senate and on the board for Shaar Shalom Congregation.

His memorial service will take place at Cruikshank's Funeral home, 2666 Windsor Street in Halifax on May 29 at 11am AT, all are welcome. No flowers please. Donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières or to a good cause of your choice.