Finnish American sociologist
Mavis Hiltunen Biesanz (July 27, 1919 Vermilion Lake Township, Minnesota – February 21, 2008 Escazú, Costa Rica) was a Finnish-American writer and sociologist. Many of her books were about Central American countries, particularly Costa Rica. She lived in Costa Rica from 1971 until her death in 2008.
Life.
Mavis Biesanz grew up in northern Minnesota. She graduated from Iowa State University in the summer of 1940, summa cum laude grade and Phi Beta Kappa honors. She financed her studies by waiting tables, scrubbing floors, babysitting, and washing dishes. On graduation, she married John Biesanz (1913–1995), with whom she lived until John's death. John was a sociology and anthropology professor, who taught sociology during his career, including at Tulane, Pittsburgh, and Wayne State University.
Biesanz made a career as a writer. In addition, she has worked as an English teacher. She wrote two widely used sociology textbooks with her husband, "Modern Society: An Introduction to Social Sciences" and "Introduction to Social Sciences" Five others were written about Costa Rican and Panamanian sociology. They had two sons, Richard and Barry, and a daughter, Katja.
References.
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