2008/06/21 by Herbert S. Lewis · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice #Social and Cultural Dynamics #German Social Sciences and History
paper · doi:10.1080/00938150802038968
openalex publication_date 2008/06/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Franz Boas organized and shaped American anthropology. No academic discipline of similar scope owed so much to just one person. Within three decades of coming to the United States from Germany he had trained the anthropologists who established its place within the universities and redirected its tone and ethos as well as its theories. The biographies under review help us understand the background, aims, and drive of the man. We shall consider, in particular, the impact he had on the political and ethical tone of the field, the prevalence of women in it, and the importance of his scientific background.