Anthropology and modern life

Name: Anthropology and modern life
Author: Franz Boas

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About This Book

A survey of anthropology defines the field as the study of humans as members of social and racial groups and applies biological, psychological, and cultural evidence to contemporary social problems. It examines race as a fluid, overlapping set of physical and hereditary traits and considers environmental influences, intelligence testing, and the social relations among groups. It analyzes nationalism, language, and political organization as bases for collective identity and critiques eugenic and deterministic proposals while weighing hereditary and environmental explanations for crime and behavior. It also addresses cultural stability and change, the persistence of habitual thought and action, and the role of education in individual development and social transformation.

About the Author

Franz Boas

Franz Boas was a pioneering anthropologist often referred to as the 'father of American anthropology.' He played a crucial role in establishing anthropology as a distinct academic discipline in the United States. Boas is known for his emphasis on cultural relativism and his critique of racial determinism, advocating for the understanding of cultures on their own terms. His influential works include "Anthropology," which laid the groundwork for modern anthropological thought, and "The Mind of Primitive Man," where he explored the psychological aspects of culture. His extensive research among Indigenous peoples, particularly in the Arctic, contributed significantly to the field's development and understanding of cultural diversity.

More Books by This Author

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Anthropology by Franz Boas

Race and nationality by Franz Boas

The Central Eskimo / Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-1885, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 399-670 by Franz Boas

The mind of primitive man by Franz Boas