Franz Boas : in praise of open minds / Noga Arikha.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Arikha, Noga, author.

Series:

Jewish lives (New Haven, Conn.)

Jewish Lives.

Jewish Lives Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Boas, Franz, 1858-1942.

Boas, Franz.

Anthropologists--Germany--Biography.

Anthropologists.

Anthropologists--United States--Biography.

Jews--Biography.

Jews.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (279 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, 2025.

Summary:

A thought-provoking account of the life and work of Franz Boas and his influential role in shaping modern anthropology Franz Boas (1858–1942) is widely acknowledged for his pioneering work in the field of cultural anthropology. His rigorous studies of variations across societies were aimed at demonstrating that cultures and peoples were not shaped by biological predispositions. This book traces Boas’s life and intellectual passions from his roots in Germany and his move to the United States in 1884, partly in response to growing antisemitism in Germany, to his work with First Nations communities and his influential role as a teacher, mentor, and engaged activist who inspired an entire generation. Drawing from Boas’s numerous but rarely read writings, Noga Arikha brings to life the man and the ideas he developed about the complex interplay of mind and culture, biology and history, language and myth. She provides a comprehensive picture of the cultural contexts in which he worked, of his personal and professional relationships, and of his revolutionary approach to fieldwork. He was celebrated in his lifetime for the cultural relativism he developed and the arguments he marshaled against entrenched racialism. But his was a constant battle, and Arikha shows how urgently relevant his voice and legacy have become again today.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction: The Self as Other

1 From Physics to Geography

2 From Geography to Anthropology

3 Exploring Minds

4 A New Field

5 A Legacy

Notes

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780300283037

0300283032

OCLC:

1513533867