Born in Minden, Germany, son of a merchant, he studied at
German universities. A field trip to study the Eskimos in
Baffin Island, Canada, to further his geographical work led
him to specialize in the anthropology of North America. In
1887 he settled in the US, teaching at Clark University. In
1899 he was appointed professor of anthropology at Columbia
University and in 1901 curator of the American Museum of
Natural History. He also edited the
Journal of American
Folklore and founded
The International Journal of
American Linguistics. His chief contribution was his
painstaking method of describing the culture and language of
unfamiliar societies and he was regarded as the father of
American anthropology. In his latter years he lent the full
force of his scientific authority to the campaign against
Nazi racism.
Bibliography
BOAS,
Franz. Anthropology & modern life. With a new
introduction and afterword by Herbert S. Lewis. Pp. xvi,
333. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, c2004
BOAS,
Franz. Indian myths & legends from the North Pacific
Coast of America: a translation of Franz Boas' 1895 edition
of "Indianische Sagen von der Nord-Pacifischen Kueste
Amerikas. Edited and annotated by Randy Bouchard and
Dorothy Kennedy ; translated by Dietrich Bertz ; with a
foreword by Claude Levi-Strauss. Pp. 702, maps. Vancouver:
Talon Books, 2002.
BOAS,
Franz [et al.]. Anthropology in North America. Pp.
378, 2 l. of plates, maps. New York: G.E. Stechert & Co.,
1915
BOAS,
Franz. Bella Bella tales. Pp. xiii, 178. New York:
The American Folk-lore Society, G.E. Stechert and Co.,
Agents, 1932
BOAS,
Franz. Contributions to the ethnology of the Kwakiutl.
Pp. vi, 357. New York: AMS Press [1969]
BOAS,
Franz. The decorative art of the Indians of the north
Pacific coast. Pp. 123-176, illus. New York: AMS Press,
[1976]
BOAS,
Franz. The Eskimo of Baffin Land and Hudson Bay: from
notes collected by Capt. George Comer, Capt. James S. Mutch,
and Rev. E. J. Peck. Pp. 370, illus. New York: AMS
Press, 1975
BOAS,
Franz. Facial paintings of the Indians of northern
British Columbia. Pp. 24. New York: AMS Press, 1975
BOAS,
Franz. Geographical names of the Kwakiutl Indians.
Pp. 83, maps. New York: Columbia University Press, 1934
BOAS,
Franz. Handbook of American Indian languages. With
illustrative sketches by Rolan B. Dixon ... [et al.]. 2
vols. St. Clair Shores, Mich.: Scholarly Press, 1976
BOAS,
Franz. The mind of a primitive man. Pp. x, 294. New York:
The Macmillan company, 1931
BOAS,
Franz. Nationalism in Europe. Pp. 15. Chicago:
Published under the auspices of the Germanistic society of
Chicago, 1915
BOAS,
Franz. Race and democratic society. Pp. 219. New
York: Biblo and Tannen, 1969 [c1945]
BOAS,
Norman Francis. Franz Boas, 1858-1942: an illustrated
biography. Pp. xii, 312. 1st ed. Mystic, Ct.: Seaport
Autographs Press, 2004
Links
Franz Boas
Franz Boas
Franz Boas
