Anthropology at Harvard: A Biographical History, 1790-1940
Anthropology at Harvard recounts the rich and complex history of anthropology at America's oldest university, beginning with the earliest precursors of the discipline within the study of natural history. The story unfolds through fascinating vignettes about the many individuals--famous and obscure alike--who helped shape the discipline at Harvard College and the Peabody Museum. Lively anecdotes provide in-depth portraits of dozens of key individuals, including Louis and Alexander Agassiz, Frederic Ward Putnam, Mary Hemenway, Alice Cunningham Fletcher, Sylvanus Morley, A. V. Kidder, and Antonio Apache. The text also throws new light on longstanding puzzles and debates, such as Franz Boas's censure by the American Anthropological Association and the involvement of Harvard archaeologists in espionage work for the U.S. government during World War I.
The authors take a "cohort" perspective, looking beyond the big names to the larger network of colleagues that formed the dynamic backdrop to the development of ideas. The significant contributions of amateurs and private funders to the early growth of the field are highlighted, as is the active participation of women and of students and scholars of diverse ethnic backgrounds. A monumental achievement, Anthropology at Harvard makes an important contribution to the history of Americanist anthropology.Earn by promoting books
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David L. Browman is Director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Archaeology and Professor of Archaeology at Washington University in St. Louis.
Stephen Williams is Peabody Professor of North American Archaeology and Ethnography, Emeritus, and former Director of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University.
--Ira Jacknis, author of The Storage Box of Tradition: Kwakiutl Art, Anthropologists, and Museums, 1881-1981
This massive work is the first in-depth study of the history of anthropology at Harvard University, and documents in great detail the significance of the programs there in the development of American anthropology. Browman and Williams effectively combine biographical sketches of several hundred relevant individuals with discussion of institutional and disciplinary histories, focusing not just on key figures but on cohorts, to provide a fuller sense of the whole than is often found in such works.--F. W. Gleach "Choice" (2/1/2014 12:00:00 AM)
