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FRANZ BOAS 1858-1942 Boas en route to Baffin Island 1883 and Central Inuit; to study reflectivity of sea-water.

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Presentation on theme: "FRANZ BOAS 1858-1942 Boas en route to Baffin Island 1883 and Central Inuit; to study reflectivity of sea-water."— Presentation transcript:

1 FRANZ BOAS 1858-1942 Boas en route to Baffin Island 1883 and Central Inuit; to study reflectivity of sea-water

2  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS3wqv96 VcM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS3wqv96 VcM  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOvFDioP rMM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOvFDioP rMM  Shackles of Tradition (52 min)

3  Born: July 9, 1858  Minden, Westphalia, Germany  Liberal Jewish parents  Meier Boas & Sophie Meyer Boas  Married to Marie Krackowizer

4  Anti-Semitism  “Germany” did not exist until 1871  Before 19 th century, 350 states linked by common language  Some large such as Austria & Prussia  Holy Roman Empire

5  ”Scramble for Africa” (1875-1912)  European countries  Colonize African continent

6  Three Emperors' League (1873)  Coordinated by German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck  Germany, Austria-Hungary, & Russia  Pledged to consult on matters of mutual interest

7  Geography & physics at:  Heidelberg, Bonn, and Kiel  1881--  Bachelors degree, University of Heidelberg  Ph.D., University of Kiel

8  1883-1884  Expedition to Baffin Land, Canada Fieldwork—Eskimo  https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=Soma tology#gs_ssp=eJzj4tDP1TfIMjDIBgAKNgJD&hl=en&q=ba ffin+island https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=Soma tology#gs_ssp=eJzj4tDP1TfIMjDIBgAKNgJD&hl=en&q=ba ffin+island  Anthropology  1885--Immigrated to United States

9  Journal Science  Editorial position  Fieldwork along North Pacific Coast of North America for several museums 1885-1896

10  1892-1893--Chicago World's Fair  Native American cultures  Life group displays  Dioramas

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12  New York (1896)  American Museum of Natural History  Assistant Curator of Ethnology & Somatology (physical anthropology)  Columbia University:  Professor of Anthropology (1899)

13  Best known: Kwakiutl Indians  Northern Vancouver & mainland of British Columbia, Canada  New concept of culture & race

14  Everything important to study culture  Collect data on all facets of a culture  Not just religion, kinship etc.

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16 Bear Totem PoleWearing a Mask

17 CENTRAL ESKIMO (IGULIK) STUDY Inuit perceive and name hundreds of colors and qualities of sea-water and surfaces unknown in European languages… Boas’ study: Earliest anthropological attempt to describe a non-European ‘ethno-science’ in phenomenological terms

18 Understand phenomena by grasping how they make sense within the framework of subject’s thought-world (cultural relativity) Hamats'a coming out of secret room," and "Kwakiutl Indian ceremony for expelling cannibals."

19 1885: 1885: First expedition to Northwest Coast (Bella Coola) 1886: 1886: First collecting trip for American Museum of Natural History (New York City) to Nootka and Kwakiutl — massive documentation of Northwest Coast culture

20 Demonstrating Eskimo harpooning, American Museum, 1900 No storage rooms, natural lighting, cases, life groups the most demanding (time, materials, skill), attempted realism. Labels – “the ultimate limitation to the possibility of a museum anthropology”. Boas believed exhibited artifact secondary to written interpretation by scientist

21 U.S. National Museum Life group, 1896 U.S. National Museum Typological, 1890

22  Highest ranking Kwakiutl secret society  Kwakiutl dance - a winter initiation ceremony.  4 days long and very complex  Hamatsa dancers represent a cannibal spirit who lives in the sky (Bakbakwalanooksiwae)Bakbakwalanooksiwae  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzmNlejM KA0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzmNlejM KA0

23  Boas curator at American Museum 1896-1905  Over 90% of visitors “do not want anything beyond entertainment”  Visitor groups = children, school teachers, researchers  Researchers justify large museums “for the advancement of science”

24  Differences in peoples result of:  Historical  Social  Geographic conditions  All populations have complete and equally developed culture

25  Countered early evolutionist view of stages of development  Franz Boas and his students changed American anthropology

26  Each culture has a unique history  Not assume universal laws for all cultures

27 1. Rejects general laws: R 1. Rejects general laws: Ranking, “progress nly different societies 2. No simple or complex societies Only different societies 3. Unilineal evolution= E thnocentric 27

28 4. Not Culture 4. Not Culture, but cultures 5. Culture 5. Culture, not race, determines behavior 6. Methodological rigor

29 Superorganic —Product of collective or group life Individual has an influence Unconscious — Filter through which reality is perceived Adaptive — Culture helps individuals adapt to environment

30 //thesocietypages.org/socimages REPRESENTATION OF THE “PRIMITIVE” AMERICAN INDIAN

31 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LINGUISTICS ARCHAEOLOGY PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Four Field Approach

32 Generation of anthropologists Generation of anthropologists trained under Boas at Columbia University Established Boasian doctrines in North American universities:  Alfred A. Kroeber  Ruth Benedict  Margaret Mead  Robert Lowie  Edward Sapir  Paul Radin  Alexander A. Goldenweiser  Clark Wissler

33  Cultural Relativism  Historical Particularism   “Race, language, and culture” as independent variables  Superorganic  Cultural Determinism  Data Collection “without” theory  Emphasis on Fieldwork  4-field approach FRANZ BOAS

34  1937--Professor Emeritus of anthropology at Columbia UniversityColumbia University  Made anthropology into a distinguished and recognized science

35  Author of many books, some of which are:  Growth of Children (1896 – 1904)  The Mind of Primitive Man, 1938  Primitive Art, 1927  Anthropology and Modern Life, 1938  Race, Language, and Culture, 1940  Dakota Grammar, 1941

36  Boas, professor emeritus of anthropology at Columbia University, was entertaining Professor Paul Rivet and other colleagues at a luncheon in Faculty Club. Claude Levi- Strauss  He collapsed into arms of another well- known anthropologist, Claude Levi- Strauss, and died on December 21, 1942.


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