Herskovits, Melville J.

Herskovits, Melville J.

▪ American anthropologist
in full  Melville Jean Herskovits  
born Sept. 10, 1895, Bellefontaine, Ohio, U.S.
died Feb. 25, 1963, Evanston, Ill.

      American anthropologist noted for having opened up the study of the “New World Negro” as a new field of research. Herskovits was also known for his humanistic and relativistic writings on culture.

      Herskovits took his Ph.B. at the University of Chicago (1920) and his M.A. (1921) and Ph.D. (1923) at Columbia University, where he came under the influence of Franz Boas. Herskovits was a lecturer in anthropology at Columbia and Howard University before moving in 1927 to Northwestern University, where he remained until his death. In 1951 he was named there to the first professorial chair of African studies in the United States.

      From his initial studies of the African American as a physical type, Herskovits was led to an interest in their social problems and to their cultural roots in Africa. He systematically attacked some widely held myths in The Myth of the Negro Past (1941) and also opposed the assumption that Africa must follow the Western model and remain under the continuous direction of Europeans.

      Herskovits also had interests in economics (especially in relation to anthropology) and African folk art and music. His major works include The Economic Life of Primitive Peoples (1940; 2nd ed. published as Economic Anthropology, 1952); Man and His Works (1948; rev. and abridged as Cultural Anthropology, 1955); Franz Boas (1953); and The Human Factor in Changing Africa (1962).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • HERSKOVITS, MELVILLE JEAN — (1895–1963), U.S. anthropologist. Born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, Herskovits became a lecturer in anthropology at Columbia University in 1924. In 1927 he moved to Northwestern University, where he directed the program of African studies. In 1935 he… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Melville J. Herskovits — Born September 10, 1895 …   Wikipedia

  • Melville Jean Herskovits — (* 10. September 1895 in Bellefontaine, Ohio; † 25. Februar 1963 in Evanston, Illinois) war US amerikanischer Anthropologe. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Werk 2 Werke 3 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Herskovits — Melville Jean Herskovits (* 10. September 1895 in Bellefontaine, Ohio; † 25. Februar 1963 in Evanston, Illinois) war US amerikanischer Anthropologe. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Werk 2 Werke 3 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • HERSKOVITS (M. J.) — HERSKOVITS MELVILLE JEAN (1895 1963) Anthropologue américain, né dans l’Ohio, Melville J. Herskovits fut l’élève de Boas à l’université Columbia, à New York. C’est à la Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.) qu’il fit presque toute sa carrière… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Melville J. Herskovits — Melville Jean Herskovits (* 10. September 1895 in Bellefontaine, Ohio; † 25. Februar 1963 in Evanston, Illinois) war ein US amerikanischer Anthropologe. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Familie 2 Leben 3 P …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Melville Herskovits — Melville Jean Herskovits né le 10 septembre 1895 à Bellefontaine (Ohio, États Unis) mort le 25 février 1963 à Evanston (Illinois, États Unis) est un anthropologue américain. Sommaire 1 Publications 2 Voir aussi 2.1 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Herskovits —   [ həːskəvɪts], Melville Jean, amerikanischer Anthropologe und Ethnologe, * Bellefontaine (Ohio) 10. 9. 1885, ✝ Evanston (Illinois) 25. 2. 1963; Schüler von F. Boas. Nach Studien zur Morphologie amerikanischer Farbiger (American Negros) befasste …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Jean Melville Herskovits — Melville Herskovits Melville Jean Herskovits (1895 1963) est un anthropologue américain. Sommaire 1 Publications 2 Voir aussi 2.1 Articles connexes 2.2 Bibliographie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Melville Herskovits — Para otros usos de este término, véase Melville. Melville Jean Herskovits (Bellefontaine, Ohio, septiembre 10 de 1895 Evanston, Illinois, febrero 25 de 1963) Antropólogo e historiador estadounidense que estableció firmemente los estudios… …   Wikipedia Español

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