Franz Boas Biography

Franz Boas, Scientist
Attr: Canadian Museum of History
Occup.Scientist
FromUSA
BornJuly 9, 1858
Minden, Westphalia, Germany
DiedDecember 21, 1942
New York, U.S.
Aged84 years
Franz Boas was a German-American anthropologist, often called the "Papa of American Anthropology", who was born upon July 9, 1858, in Minden, Westphalia, Germany. He is best understood for his contributions to the advancement of cultural sociology, which stressed the significance of understanding the cultural and historical contexts of human behavior.

Boas matured in a family of sellers and was enlightened in physics and also geography at the University of Heidelberg. Nevertheless, his rate of interests soon turned to anthropology, and also he traveled to the Arctic in 1883 to research the Inuit individuals. This trip was the start of his lifelong interest in the research of human cultures.

In 1886, Boas relocated to the United States, where he began showing at Clark University in Massachusetts. He later on ended up being a professor at the University of Chicago, where he showed for 5 years prior to relocating to New York City to end up being a professor at Columbia University. He spent the remainder of his occupation at Columbia, where he established the very first graduate program in anthropology in the United States.

Boas's study concentrated on the research of human cultures, with an emphasis on fieldwork and also individual observation. He believed that in order to truly recognize a society, one had to submerse oneself in it and also discover its language, customizeds, and ideas. He carried out substantial fieldwork amongst the Native American people of the Pacific Northwest, in addition to amongst the Inuit, the Kwakiutl, and also the Tsimshian.

Boas's most significant contribution to sociology was his denial of the concept of organic determinism, which held that specific races as well as ethnic teams were inherently above others. Boas suggested that culture, not biology, was the key component of human actions and that distinctions in actions and also society were the outcome of historic and also environmental aspects as opposed to inherent biological characteristics.

Boas's job had an extensive influence on the area of anthropology and on social science a lot more generally. He trained many of the leading anthropologists of the 20th century, including Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict. He likewise had a significant effect on the research study of race as well as ethnic background, aiding to move the emphasis far from biological distinctions and toward the social and social elements that form identification as well as habits.

Boas passed away on December 21, 1942, in New York City, however his legacy resides on in the field of anthropology and in the broader research of human cultures. His focus on the importance of cultural context as well as his rejection of organic determinism remain to be main to the research study of sociology today.

Our collection contains 16 quotes who is written / told by Franz.

Related authors: Alfred L. Kroeber (Scientist), Zora Neale Hurston (Dramatist), Margaret Mead (Scientist), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete), Ruth Benedict (Scientist)

Franz Boas Famous Works:
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16 Famous quotes by Franz Boas

Small: We do not discuss the anatomical, physiological, and mental characteristics of man considered as an ind
"We do not discuss the anatomical, physiological, and mental characteristics of man considered as an individual; but we are interested in the diversity of these traits in groups of men found in different geographical areas and in different social classes"
Small: This idea was also brought out very clearly by Wallace, who emphasized that apparently reasonable activ
"This idea was also brought out very clearly by Wallace, who emphasized that apparently reasonable activities of man might very well have developed without an actual application of reasoning"
Small: Not so the scientist. The very essence of his life is the service of truth
"Not so the scientist. The very essence of his life is the service of truth"
Small: My parents had broken through the shackles of dogma
"My parents had broken through the shackles of dogma"
Small: If we were to select the most intelligent, imaginative, energetic, and emotionally stable third of mank
"If we were to select the most intelligent, imaginative, energetic, and emotionally stable third of mankind, all races would be present"
Small: We all know scientists who in private life do not come up to the standard of truthfulness, but who, nev
"We all know scientists who in private life do not come up to the standard of truthfulness, but who, nevertheless, would not consciously falsify the results of their researches"
Small: The historical development of the work of anthropologists seems to single out clearly a domain of knowl
"The historical development of the work of anthropologists seems to single out clearly a domain of knowledge that heretofore has not been treated by any other science"
Small: Remember that in every single case in history the process of adaptation has been one of exceeding slown
"Remember that in every single case in history the process of adaptation has been one of exceeding slowness. Do not look for the impossible, but do not let your path deviate from the quiet and steadfast insistence on full opportunities for your powers"
Small: I object to teaching of slogans intended to befog the mind, of whatever kind they may be
"I object to teaching of slogans intended to befog the mind, of whatever kind they may be"
Small: The disease of mutual distrust among nations is the bane of modern civilization
"The disease of mutual distrust among nations is the bane of modern civilization"
Small: In France, that let down the barriers more than a hundred years ago, the feeling of antipathy is still
"In France, that let down the barriers more than a hundred years ago, the feeling of antipathy is still strong enough to sustain an anti-Jewish political party"
Small: It is our task to inquire into the causes that have brought about the observed differentiation, and to
"It is our task to inquire into the causes that have brought about the observed differentiation, and to investigate the sequence of events that have led to the establishment of the multifarious forms of human life"
Small: Furthermore, the study of the present surroundings is insufficient: the history of the people, the infl
"Furthermore, the study of the present surroundings is insufficient: the history of the people, the influence of the regions through which it has passed on its migrations, and the people with whom it came into contact, must be considered"
Small: My father had retained an emotional affection for the ceremonial of his parental home, without allowing
"My father had retained an emotional affection for the ceremonial of his parental home, without allowing it to influence his intellectual freedom"
Small: In other words, we are interested in the anatomical and mental characteristics of men living under the
"In other words, we are interested in the anatomical and mental characteristics of men living under the same biological, geographical, and social environment, and as determined by their past"
Small: I hope I may have succeeded in presenting to you, however imperfectly, the currents of thought due to t
"I hope I may have succeeded in presenting to you, however imperfectly, the currents of thought due to the work of the immortal Darwin which have helped to make anthropology what it is at the present time"