Father Franz Boas--Father of American Anthropology Essays -- essays pa

Father Franz Boas--Father of American AnthropologyFranz Boas is often referred to as the founder ofAmerican anthropology beca character of the bully influence he hadin the lives and the c areers of the next great generation ofanthropologists in America. He came at a time whenanthropology was non considered a true science or even a significant discip nisus and brought an air of respectabilityto the profession, giving those who followed a passion andan recitation of how to approach anthropology. Boas directedthe handle studies and trained such prominent anthropologistsas Alfred Louis Kroeber, Robert Lowie, Margaret Mead, aswell as separates. Although he did non leave as his legacy anyspecific line of thought, he left a pattern that wasfollowed by numerous scientists in the next generation.Franz Boas studied physics and geography in Germany andleft to pursue his hypothesis on was natural and raised inGermany and studied physics and geography. After receivinghis doctorate in geo graphy he left Germany and went toBaffin Island to test his hypothesis on pivotal geography. While he was there he became fascinated with the Eskimos andhow they lived. From then on he was no longer a geographer just now an Anthropologist. Boas was Jewish and was criticized tot all(prenominal)y his life aboutbeing Jewish. His work showed his resent ment ofAnti-Semitism, reflecting the belief that all men arecreated equal. At the time anthropology was based on thebeliefs of men like Tylor and Spencer who believed inevolutionary theories that stated that some people are moreevolved than others. They believed in categorizingdifferent cultures dep force outing on how evolved they were. These men also did not do any field work, they receivedtheir information from missionaries, government officials,and other people who traveled the world. They categorizedcultures by putting them into a line starting withbarbarians and ending with white people. Anthropologiststhen ranked them dep ending on how civilize they thoughtthey were. They also felt that people at the high end ofthe line(whites) had one time been where these othercultures are and feel this sort of a psychic unitytowards them. Boas was the first anthropologist to do field work. Hebelieved it was requisite to live with certain cultures toget the real feel of what they were like. He be... ...tists who were hard to get the larger picture. Boaswas interested in studying a actually small and specific windowof time, which came from the data that he collected epochperforming the field work he deemed necessary to analyze aculture. There is no question that anthropology as a disciplineand as a science took on a new life by and by the arrival ofFrank Boas. Not only did anthropology gain respect in thescientific and the civilian world, but also it gainedrespect in the anthropological field as well. The work thatBoas performed, both in studies and in face skills,were testaments to a man who has given so much to thediscipline. He was fit to profoundly influence a number ofthinkers and scientists in his own field the validity of hismethods of work and get them to institute them across theboard for use by all anthropologists. Boas was able to do this not only for himself, but moreimportantly, for the generations of American anthropologistsafter him. The influence that he had on Mead, Radin, et. al.is rather remarkable and needs to be noted. Boas role andhonor as the result of American anthropology is welldocumented and most deserved.