The Mind of Primitive Man
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The Mind of Primitive Man is a foundational anthropological work by Franz Boas that challenged scientific racism and argued for the cultural and historical basis of human differences.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
anthropology book
→
book → non-fiction book → |
| argues |
human mental capacities are fundamentally similar across races
→
observed group differences are largely due to culture and history → race is a poor predictor of intellectual ability → |
| associatedWith |
American cultural anthropology tradition
→
Boasian anthropology → |
| author |
Franz Boas
→
|
| contributedTo |
undermining eugenic ideologies
→
|
| countryOfOrigin |
United States
→
|
| criticizes |
evolutionist schemes that place European cultures at the top
→
hierarchical ranking of races → use of craniometry to justify racial inequality → |
| describes |
historical processes shaping cultural traits
→
relationship between environment and culture → |
| fieldOfStudy |
cultural anthropology
→
physical anthropology → |
| genre |
academic literature
→
|
| hasEdition |
revised edition 1938
→
|
| hasInfluentialConcept |
cultural relativism (in early form)
→
historical particularism → |
| hasPart |
analysis of cultural diffusion
→
critique of race classifications → discussion of language and thought → |
| influenced |
20th-century anthropology
→
debates on race and intelligence → development of cultural relativism → |
| influencedBy |
Franz Boas's fieldwork among Indigenous peoples of the Americas
→
|
| language |
English
→
|
| libraryOfCongressClassification |
GN
→
|
| mainSubject |
anthropology
→
culture → human variation → race → scientific racism → |
| notableFor |
arguing for cultural basis of human differences
→
challenging scientific racism → criticizing biological determinism → emphasizing historical particularism → |
| positionHeld |
foundational work in American anthropology
→
|
| proposes |
study of each culture in its own historical context
→
|
| publicationYear |
1911
→
|
| publisher |
Macmillan
→
|
| timePeriodDescribed |
early 20th century
→
late 19th century → |
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Franz Boas
→
Franz Boas → |
notableWork |
|
Anthropology and Modern Life
→
|
relatedWorkByAuthor |