BoA

Franz Boas: An Anthropological Pioneer Often referred to as the “father of modern anthropology”, Franz Boas is best known for establishing the area of cultural anthropology. Having possessed a scientific background with a doctorate in physics, he was one of the first scientists of his day to question the beliefs behind social Darwinism and scientific racism, and try to come to an understanding regarding the differences among people and their cultures. Boas dedicated his life to the study of anthropology, and he used his knowledge and drive to establish anthropology at academic institutions such as Columbia University. Here, Boas helped shape the minds of many of his students who would soon become very influential anthropologists. Born into…

Anthropologist Franz Boas is well-known for promoting the concept of cultural relativism. Meaning, practices, beliefs, and ideas within a certain culture make sense within that culture. As an outsider, certain beliefs or practices of cultures that are different from our own can easily be misunderstood or interpreted incorrectly. Although cultural relativism promotes the idea of respecting and understanding the beliefs and practices of different cultures, when does a certain practice/belief…

Archeology, Biological Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, and Linguistic Anthropology. The father of American anthropology, Franz Boas, introduced this four-field tradition through the amassing of holistic data collection through fieldwork expeditions. Although, each field has deepened our understanding of what makes us human, Boas and his students such as Edward Sapir, Alfred Kroeber, and Ruth Benedict work as sociocultural anthropologists have significantly shaped our ability to understand…

There are 53 species in the family Boidae, which is divided into 3 subfamilies. Most boas are placed in the subfamily Boinae (Indiviglio). The Boa Constrictor can exceed up to 13 feet in length. Boa Constrictors are very diverse, they can be found in many portions of North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean. Among these species we can find treetop dwellers, confirmed burrowers, aquatic species, and general savannas, deserts, and rainforests. These nocturnal animals are…

Beginning in the 1920s, anthropology in America took a separate path away from the foundations of British social anthropology. Franz Boas, known as the father of American Anthropology, created a set of ideas that would revolutionize the field. His ideas included a rejection of unilinear social evolution, as well as historical particularism, or a focus on the history of a culture to find understanding. He believed that in order to fully understand the culture of a society, one must understand the…

People often retreat in the face of adversity. The problem with this is that adversity creates some of the biggest character building events you’ll ever face. The best way to build good character through adversity is by facing the challenge and not backing down. The way you face the adversity presented to you will change the way you think in the future just like how mistakes are the best teachers. Adversity challenges people everyday to make hard decisions and inevitably learn from the decisions…

On the other side was the historical view, which Boas ascribed to. In this, culture dispersed (or communicated) throughout societies. Some proposers of diffusion stated that inventions emerged from a source, then diffused to other civilisations over time. They began from the same geographic locale and hence had similarities. Some went further with this hypothesis by claiming that man was essentially a mimic (Smith, 1916; F. Graebner: 191). Therefore, true invention occurred rarely, and many…

Different from Hallyu 1.0, which was led by Korean technology such as Samsung products, Hallyu 2.0 blossomed from the popularity and global spread of Korean dramas and Korean pop music. Korean pop music, more widely known as K-pop, has been a driving force in the Hallyu 2.0 wave since the late 1990s. The Korean idol pop aspect of K-pop, in which performers sing and dance simultaneously, has grown into an international phenomenon, winning the hearts of countless people, both native and foreign to…

He had a large impact on the turn toward more historical data collection, which he felt would lead to the improvement of anthropological theory (Harris 1968:262). Boas thought culture was tied to a groups history and not to biology. Neo-Kantian philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey believed that, “the path to the understanding of the inner life lies through the study of an individual’s history” (Harris 1968:269). This is related to Boas’ study and research with history. To truly understand one’s…

Boa constrictors are known for squeezing their prey until they are out of breath and can no longer breathe. A recent study shows that boa constrictors do not suffocate their prey, but “break their hearts.” These snakes squeeze down on their preys blood circulation until it stops. Most animals cannot live without fresh oxygen to the heart and brain, therefor boa constrictors kill their prey by squeezing them to cut off their blood supply so the heart and brain starve. That means the famous method…