Bastian's Vision: Franz Boas and German Museum Ethnology

In his lecture Professor Dr. Glenn Penny (University of Iowa) outlines the central characteris-tics of German ethnology from the 1880s through World War I. He argues that Franz Boas's anthropology was a continuation of the project that guided nineteenth-century German eth-nographic museums. By 1907, a new generation of German ethnologists abandoned Adolf Bastian's goals and methods. They began championing diffusionist theories and creating easily-digestible, pedagogical museum displays. At Columbia University, however, Franz Boas developed and extended Bastian's vision beyond material culture. He freed it from the limitations of the museum, extending Bastian's salvage mentality beyond peoples' "things" and placing as much, if not more, emphasis on "recording" their cultures. Through that effort, Boas realized Bastian's legacy.