The myth of the noble savage / Ter Ellingson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ellingson, Terry Jay.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Anthropology--Philosophy.

Anthropology.

Noble savage stereotype.

Noble savage stereotype in literature.

Racism in anthropology--History.

Racism in anthropology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (468 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In this important and original study, the myth of the Noble Savage is an altogether different myth from the one defended or debunked by others over the years. That the concept of the Noble Savage was first invented by Rousseau in the mid-eighteenth century in order to glorify the "natural" life is easily refuted. The myth that persists is that there was ever, at any time, widespread belief in the nobility of savages. The fact is, as Ter Ellingson shows, the humanist eighteenth century actually avoided the term because of its association with the feudalist-colonialist mentality that had spawned it 150 years earlier. The Noble Savage reappeared in the mid-nineteenth century, however, when the "myth" was deliberately used to fuel anthropology's oldest and most successful hoax. Ellingson's narrative follows the career of anthropologist John Crawfurd, whose political ambition and racist agenda were well served by his construction of what was manifestly a myth of savage nobility. Generations of anthropologists have accepted the existence of the myth as fact, and Ellingson makes clear the extent to which the misdirection implicit in this circumstance can enter into struggles over human rights and racial equality. His examination of the myth's influence in the late twentieth century, ranging from the World Wide Web to anthropological debates and political confrontations, rounds out this fascinating study.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Illustrations

Preface

Introduction

I. THE BIRTH OF THE NOBLE SAVAGE

II. AMBIGUOUS NOBILITY: ETHNOGRAPHIC DISCOURSE ON "SAVAGES" FROM LESCARBOT TO ROUSSEAU

III. DISCURSIVE OPPOSITIONS: THE "SAVAGE" AFTER ROUSSEAU

IV. THE RETURN OF THE NOBLE SAVAGE

V.THE NOBLE SAVAGE MEETS THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

CONCLUSION

NOTES

REFERENCES

INDEX

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9786612758874

9780520925922

0520925920

9781282758872

128275887X

9781597347679

1597347671

OCLC:

475930273