Franz Boas and Exhibits In ethnography, all is individuality

1
Franz Boas and ExhibitsIn ethnography, all is
individuality
www.nceas.ucsb.edu/alroy/lefa/Boas.jpg

• The Limitations of the Museum Method in
  Anthropology and the End of the Museum Era

2
Franz Boas (1848-1942) father of American
AnthropologyActive during Anthropologys Museum
Age 1880-1920Established the concept of
cultures as diverse historical developments.
Holistic and historic philosophies tied to
training in geography and the German romantic
tradition
Boas 1895, U.S. National Museum
3
Deduction vs. InductionClassification is not
explanation 1887 debate

• Deduction Induction
• From the general to the specific From the
  specific to the general
• Like causes produce like effects Unlike causes
  produce like effects
• Otis T. Mason Franz Boas
• U.S. National Museum American Museum
• Typological Tribal
• Evolutionary Contextual
• Classification Life group
• Form Meaning
• Universalism Individuality

4
Typological vs. Life Group
U.S. National Museum Life group, 1896
U.S. National Museum, Typological, 1890
5
Entertainment, Instruction, Research

• Boas curator at the American Museum 1896-1905
• Over 90 of visitors do not want anything beyond
  entertainment
• Visitor groups - children, school teachers,
  researchers
• Researchers justify large museums for the
  advancement of science

6
The Practice of Museum Exhibits
Boas at American Museum, 1900
No storage rooms, natural lighting, cases, life
groups the most demanding (time, materials,
skill), attempted realism. Labels the
ultimate limitation to the possibility of a
museum anthropology. Boas believe the exhibited
artifact secondary to the monographic
interpretation of a scientist
7
Cultural Relativism

• Contextual
• The human mind has been creative everywhere -
  Boas
• Evolution
• Advance of mankind from primitive to complex
  American Museum President Jesup

8
Cultural Determinism
Anthropology Behavior of all men determined by
enculturation Culture as primary determinant of
behavior not race Learned behavior
paramount Pre-anthropological culture singular,
anthropological culture plural Evolutionary
theory (E.B.Tylor and Herbert Spencer) Culture in
its evolutionary sense, progressive accumulation
of human creativity. Customs then viewed
negatively as lower evolutionary status. See
Stocking p. 870, 872. Phenomenon of Worlds Fairs
as exemplary of evolutionary theses ex. Worlds
Columbia Exposition (also called The Chicago
Worlds Fair) 1893, to celebrate the 400th
anniversary of Columbuss discovery of the New
World.
Arguments for and against racial assumptions tied
to material culture studies.
9
Web sources

• Fabulous Imperialism! - The 1893 Columbian
  Exposition
• http//www.pinkyshow.org/archives/episodes/060330/
  060330_1893_columbianexpo.html

The Smithsonian Institution at
50 http//www.150.si.edu/siarch/guide/start.htm