Franz Boas Criticism
Franz Boas, born in Westphalia, Germany in 1858, is hailed as the father of modern anthropology. His pioneering work transformed the discipline by applying rigorous scientific methods and challenging prevailing assumptions of social science, particularly the idea that societies develop according to a linear evolutionary sequence. Boas posited that culture is shaped by complex historical and psychological interactions rather than environmental determinism, as he explored in his extensive fieldwork among the native tribes of the Pacific Northwest. His studies led to the documentation of diverse social and linguistic systems, thereby redefining anthropological understanding of culture.
Boas's career in the United States began in 1887, and he made significant contributions to both anthropological academia and museums, notably the Field Museum in Chicago and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. At Columbia University, where he taught until 1937, Boas influenced a generation of anthropologists, including Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict, as noted in Mead's reflections on his mentorship.
Boas's commitment to empirical research and opposition to racial discrimination extended beyond academia. He actively opposed Nazi Germany's policies and worked to combat racial prejudice in the U.S. His political engagement is further examined by Marshall Hyatt, who highlights Boas's role as a social activist.
Despite criticism, such as the view expressed by Murray Wax regarding Boas's lack of theoretical frameworks, his emphasis on meticulous data collection and cultural relativism laid the groundwork for future anthropological inquiry. Boas's reluctance to draw definitive conclusions without comprehensive evidence was a significant shift from speculative theories, elevating anthropology to a respected scientific discipline, as observed in Ruth Benedict's tribute and Leslie Spier's overview of his contributions.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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A review of Anthropology and Modern Life
(summary)
In the following review of Anthropology and Modern Life, Slesinger commends Boas's scientific methods and applauds his major conclusions concerning the roots of human behavior.
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Obituary Tribute to Franz Boas
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Benedict was a renowned American cultural anthropologist who studied with Boas. The following excerpt is taken from her obituary tribute to her former teacher.
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The Limits of Boas' Anthropology
(summary)
In the following essay, Wax argues that while Boas was successful in introducing a spirit of critical inquiry and empiricism into modern anthropology, he failed to develop viable theories of his own.
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Apprenticeship Under Boas
(summary)
A respected American anthropologist, Mead is noted for her psychological and cultural studies of primitive societies, most notably Coming of Age in Samoa. Mead also studied with Boas, and in the following essay, which incorporates letters, conversations, and lecture notes, Mead discusses Boas's influence on her work as well as his impact on the field of anthropology.
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Some Central Elements in the Legacy
(summary)
In the following essay, Spier provides an overview of Boas's contributions to the field of anthropology.
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An Introduction to The Ethnography of Franz Boas
(summary)
In the following excerpt, the critics describe Boas's approach to the study of human societies and place him in the context of nineteenth-century ethnographic theories.
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Anthropology as Kulturkampf Science and Politics in the Career of Franz Boas
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In the following excerpt, which was originally published in the 1979 collection The Uses of Anthropology, he discusses the political dimension of Boas's thought.
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Franz Boas
(summary)
Lesser was a distinguished American anthropologist who, like Boas, specialized in the study of Native American cultures. In the following excerpt, he summarizes Boas's achievements.
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Franz Boas, Social Activist: The Dynamics of Ethnicity
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In the following excerpt, Hyatt applauds Boas's efforts to effect social change. The life and thought of Franz Boas has had a profound impact on many diverse elements of American society. In a sense this German-born anthropologist can be viewed as a symbol of the age in which the United States responded to its rapid modernization at the onset of the twentieth century. Finding himself caught up in the whirlwind that resulted from such wholesale disequilibrium, Boas did his part to ease the national process of readaptation. During his long career in the United States, he responded not only to the shifting nature of American values but also to two world wars fought against his land of birth and a massive economic depression. Far from confining himself solely to science, he tackled problems fundamental to his new society. He fused science with political and social activism to ensure that his ideological contributions to anthropological thought also had practical relevance to issues facing the world.
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Irony in Anthropology: The Work of Franz Boas
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Krupat is an American critic and scholar who has written extensively on Native American cultures. In the following excerpt, he discusses elements of modernism in Boas's thought, noting the varieties and degrees of irony present in his writings.
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A review of Anthropology and Modern Life
(summary)
- Further Reading