The History of Anthropology Boas (1904)

-Anthropologists occupy thesel!es "ith pro#les relating to the physical an$ ental
life of an%in$ as foun$ in !arying fors of society& fro the earliest tie to the present&
in all parts of the "orl$'
-Their researches #ear on the for an$ function of the #o$y (#iology) an$ upon all %in$s
of anifestations of ental life (language& in!ention& art& religion& social organi(ation&
la")
-Anthropology has t"o $istinct etho$s of research an$ in!estigation) 1) the historical
etho$& "hich see%s to reconstruct the actual history of an%in$' *oe stu$y the
earliest history of an& others stu$y the inha#itants of reote regions& an$ still others the
sur!i!als of early ties that still persist' +) the generali(ing etho$& "hich attepts to
esta#lish the la"s of its $e!elopent'
-,nterest in the custos an$ appearance of foreign peoples has e-iste$ for centuries& #ut
only "hen the relation of those societies to our o"n ci!ili(ation #ecae the su#.ect& "ere
the foun$ations lai$ for anthropology' ,ts gers foun$ in the relations #et"een pagan
religions an$ /hristianity& "ith the conclusion that the lo"er fors of culture "ere $ue to
$egeneration'
-The #eginning of anthropology too% place $uring the +
n$
half of the 10
th
century& "here
the foun$ational concept "as fore$ #y the rationalists& prece$ing the 1rench re!olution'
Her$er "as the first to e-press the thought of the $e!elopent of the culture of an%in$
as a "hole'
-Although the %no"le$ge of the e!olution of ci!ili(ation "as anthropology2s ultiate
ai& #iological anthropology $e!elope$ through the great (oologists of the 10
th
century
an$ e!entually focuse$ its efforts on the classification of the races of an an$ the
$isco!ery of !ali$ characteristics to $escri#e the !arieties as one or $istinct species'
-3uring the 19
th
century& 4le co#ine$ the classificatory an$ historical aspects&
loo%ing at the ental $ifferences #et"een races an$ the 5uestion of polygenis an$
onogenis'
-The first attepts at the e-planation of ne" lan$s an$ peoples #y tra!elers "ere
speculati!e& $e$ucti!e an$ focuse$ on geographical $isco!eries' Thus geographers
analy(e$ the inforation& paying special attention to an an$ nature& i'e' the relation
#et"een the $epen$ence of culture on the geographical surroun$ings& an$ the control of
natural con$itions gaine$ #y an "ith the a$!ance of ci!ili(ation'
-The i$$le of the 19
th
century sa" the #eginnings of anthropology fro approache$
fro 6 $ifferent perspecti!es) the historical& the classificatory& an$ the geographical'
-At a#out the sae tie& 3ar"in2s theory of e!olution re!olutioni(e$ the "hole etho$
of natural an$ ental sciences& causing ol$ theories to #e re!ise$ an$ re!ise$ again&
e!entually su#or$inating historical fact to nature in the creation of historical e!olution'
-3ue to e!olution& anthropologists #egan seeing a unifor process in "hich ci!ili(ation
ha$ $e!elope$ throughout the "orl$& noticing a siilarity #et"een the custos of reote
$istricts as proof of the unifority of $e!elopent' The la"s "hich the unifor
$e!elopent of culture a#i$e$ #y #ecae the ne" pro#le for anthropologists to ta%e on'
-3ue to the "or% of *pencer an$ Tylor an$ the generali(ations a$e #y such pioneers&
anthropology cease$ losing its character as a single science an$ #ecae a etho$
applica#le to all ental sciences (first religion an$ la"& then ethics& esthetics& literature&
an$ philosophy)
-Bastian an$ 7erlan$ loo%e$ at the generali(e$ !ie" of the e!olution of culture' Bastian
sa" in their saeness& the effect of the saeness of the huan in$ "hich he tere$
eleentary& $eclining further consi$eration of origin #ecause he consi$ere$ an
in$ucti!e treatent of the pro#le to #e ipossi#le' He also #elie!e$ culture "as
o$ifie$ #y the influence of their geographical en!ironent' 7erlan$ share$ the sae
!ie"s regar$ing the influence of en!ironent on culture& #ut #elie!e$ that the eleents
foun$ in any parts of the "orl$ are a coon inheritance fro an early stage of
cultural $e!elopent'
-The en$ea!or to esta#lish a line of e!olution le$ to ne" attepts at classification&
through #iology& culture& an$ linguistics'
-8inguistics an$ the origin of language "as one of the ost $iscusse$ pro#les of the
19
th
century' The historical treatent of the linguistic pro#le $e!elope$ #efore the
historic aspect of the natural sciences "as un$erstoo$& an$ "as use$ to classify the
languages of an%in$'
-Biological anthropology "as greatly influence$ #y the intro$uction of the etric
etho$& $ue to 9uetelet' By applying this etho$& it appeare$ possi#le that the races of
en coul$ #e su#$i!i$e$ into types characteristic of $efinite geographical areas an$ of
the people inha#iting the'
-3ue to the conflicting nature of the three approaches& they coul$ not #e use$ to
$eterine the sae line of e!olution' ,t "as $eterine$ that they reflecte$ a certain
group of facts specific to each su#-$iscipline& #ut "hich can #e a$e to coplient each
other'
-The e!olutionary etho$& "hich "as #ase$ on the saeness of cultural traits the "orl$
o!er "as !ie"e$ in t"o "ays) 1) the saeness "as assue$ as proof of a regular&
unifor e!olution of culture (as entione$ #efore) +) the saeness "as assue$ to
represent the eleentary i$ea "hich arises #y necessity in the huan in$ (as entione$
#efore)' These t"o !ie"points "ere #rought into proinence #y the $e#ate o!er the
theory of their in$epen$ent origin an$ that of their transission fro one part of the
"orl$ to another'
-1ol%ore& #eginning "ith recor$s of superstitions an$ custos an$ of popular tales&
#ecae the science of all the anifestations of popular life& an$ is thus consi$ere$ a
#ranch of anthropology' 1ol%orists are concerne$ "ith the fol%lore of :urope& thus
suppleenting the aterial collecte$ #y anthropologists in foreign lan$s' 1ol%lore is
$i!i$e$ into t"o caps) the psychological an$ the historical theory'
-Boas recogni(es that the ultifarious origin of anthropology is reflecte$ in the
ultiplicity of its etho$s' Although the liits are constantly #eing o!ersteppe$& all
fiel$s re5uire special %no"le$ge "hich is not encopasse$ in general anthropology' He
goes on to say that the tie is $ra"ing near "hen the #iological #ranch of anthropology
"ill #e finally separate$ fro the rest an$ #ecoe a part of #iology' He a$!ocates
though& that the fiel$ researcher ha!e a fir grasp of the all the anthropological etho$s&
across the $isciplines& as all of the are nee$e$ for the in!estigation of his pro#le'
-Boas a$its that rather than a siple line of e!olution& it appears that there are ultiple
con!erging an$ $i!erging lines& a%ing the stri%ing feature of e!olution& $i!ersity' He
also a$its that in the stu$y of the history of cultures& there is a natural inclination to
copare the to our o"n culture& "hich he #elie!es re$uces the a#ility to e!aluate our
"or% o#.ecti!ely' He argues for retaining !alue fro all fors of culture to ser!e as a
chec% against the !ie" of our culture as the ultiate stan$ar$'