Encyclopedia, Difference between revisions of "Alfred L. Kroeber" - New World

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Kroeber was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, as a second-generation German descendant. His father came to America when he was ten years old, and settled down in New Jersey. Kroeber however grew up in New York City, where his mother came from. Kroeber's family cherished their German roots and raised their children with strong sense for their cultural inheritance.  
 
Kroeber was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, as a second-generation German descendant. His father came to America when he was ten years old, and settled down in New Jersey. Kroeber however grew up in New York City, where his mother came from. Kroeber's family cherished their German roots and raised their children with strong sense for their cultural inheritance.  
  
Kroeber entered Columbia University when he was 16 years old, and eventually received his B.A in 1896, and M.A. in 1897, both in Engish. After meeting with Franz Boas, a professor of anthropology at Columbia, Kroeber decided to enroll into additional graduate program in anthropology and psychology. He earned his Ph.D. in 1901 after spending two years in studying Arapaho Indians.  
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Kroeber entered Columbia University when he was 16 years old, and eventually received his B.A in 1896, and M.A. in 1897, both in English literature. After meeting with Franz Boas, a professor of anthropology at Columbia, Kroeber decided to enroll into additional graduate program in anthropology and psychology. He earned his Ph.D. in 1901 after spending two years in studying Arapaho Indians.  
  
 
After his graduation in 1901, Kroeber moved to California, where he was appointed curator of Anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. He started teaching and became the first member of the new Department of Anthropology at University of California at Berkeley. Kroeber spent most of his career at the University, developing the anthropological department and enriching the university museum's collection of artifacts. The anthropology department's headquarters building at the University of California is known as Kroeber Hall.  
 
After his graduation in 1901, Kroeber moved to California, where he was appointed curator of Anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. He started teaching and became the first member of the new Department of Anthropology at University of California at Berkeley. Kroeber spent most of his career at the University, developing the anthropological department and enriching the university museum's collection of artifacts. The anthropology department's headquarters building at the University of California is known as Kroeber Hall.  

Revision as of 19:48, 7 May 2006


Alfred Louis Kroeber (born June 11, 1876 in Hoboken, New Jersey; died October 5, 1960 in Paris, France) was an influential figure in the development of modern American anthropology.

Life

Kroeber was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, as a second-generation German descendant. His father came to America when he was ten years old, and settled down in New Jersey. Kroeber however grew up in New York City, where his mother came from. Kroeber's family cherished their German roots and raised their children with strong sense for their cultural inheritance.

Kroeber entered Columbia University when he was 16 years old, and eventually received his B.A in 1896, and M.A. in 1897, both in English literature. After meeting with Franz Boas, a professor of anthropology at Columbia, Kroeber decided to enroll into additional graduate program in anthropology and psychology. He earned his Ph.D. in 1901 after spending two years in studying Arapaho Indians.

After his graduation in 1901, Kroeber moved to California, where he was appointed curator of Anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. He started teaching and became the first member of the new Department of Anthropology at University of California at Berkeley. Kroeber spent most of his career at the University, developing the anthropological department and enriching the university museum's collection of artifacts. The anthropology department's headquarters building at the University of California is known as Kroeber Hall.

Kroeber married Henriette Rothschild in 1906, but the marriage ended tragically 1913 when Henrietta died from tuberculosis. Kroeber himself developed inner ear ailment, which left permanent deafness in his left ear. Affected by all this, in 1918 Kroeber decided to leave anthropology and became involved with psychoanalysis. This sudden change of his career didn't last long, and Kroeber returned to anthropology in 1922. He remarried in 1926 with Theodora Krakow Brown. Kroeber was the father of the academic Karl Kroeber and the science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin by his second wife, Theodora. He also adopted the two children of Theodora's first marriage, Ted and historian Clifton Kroeber. Clifton and Karl recently (2003) edited a book together on the Ishi case, Ishi in Three Centuries.

Kroeber continued to lecture and research until 1960, when he died in Paris, France, from heart failure.

Work

As an anthropologist, Kroeber was more than a well-known name. He was the first student of Franz Boas and the main proponent of his stream in anthropology. Also, Kroeber was the second American to earn a Ph.D. in anthropology. Similar to Boas, Kroeber believed in cultural relativism, a theory that one’s cultural beliefs or behaviors can be understood only from within one’s own culture. Cultural relativism was thus in direct opposition with cultural evolutionism, a belief in evolution of cultures from primitive to more developed ones. Kroeber spent years in studying different Native Indian tribes, especially of West America.

Kroeber is credited with developing the concepts of culture areas and cultural elements (Cultural and Natural Areas of Native North America, 1939). Cultural area refers to geographical areas with relativelly homogenous human activity (culture), while cultural element is an essential part that constitutes a culture.

Although being known primarily as a cultural anthropologist, Kroeber did significant work in archaeology, and he contributed to anthropology by making connections between archaeology and culture. He conducted excavations in New Mexico, Mexico, and Peru. Kroeber and his students did important work collecting cultural data on western tribes of Native American Indians. The work done in preserving California tribes appeared in his Handbook of Indians of California from 1925. These efforts to preserve remaining data on these tribes has been termed "Salvage ethnography", the concept Kroeber developed with Robert Lowie. The example of this attempt to save Native Indian cultures is Kroeber's work with Ishi, who was claimed (though not uncontroversially) to be the last California Yahi Indian. Kroeber studied Ishi for several years - his toolmaking, language and customs, in the attempt to salvage what remained of Yahi tribe. After Ishi died from tuberculosis in 1916, Kroeber had a cast made of Ishi's face, and removed his brain and send it to Smithonian Institute. This brought certain controversies and the attempt for Ishi's brain to be returned to Barkeley. His second wife, Theodora Kroeber, wrote a well-known biography of Ishi, Ishi in Two Worlds.

Alfred L. Kroeber with Ishi in 1911.

Kroeber and Roland Dixon were very influential in the genetic classification of Native American languages in North America, being responsible for groupings such as Penutian languages and Hokan languages.

Legacy

Kroeber was a rather productive writer. During his career he published around 500 books and articles. His book, Anthropology, was widely used for years as a standard textbook for university classes.

Beside anthropology, Kroeber was well known in archeological circles. He helped establish archeology as an essential part to consider when investigating culture.

His influence was so strong that many contemporaries adopted his style of beard and mustache as well as his views as a social scientist.

Bibliography

  • Kroeber, Alfred. (1944). Configurations of Culture Growth. University of California Press. ISBN 0520006690
  • Kroeber, Alfred. (1963). Anthropology. Harvest/HBJ Book (original work published 1923). ISBN 0156078058
  • Kroeber, Alfred. (1973). Style and Civilizations. Greenwood Press. (original work published 1957). ISBN 0837169666
  • Kroeber, Alfred. (1976). Handbook of the Indians of California. Dover Publications. (original work published 1925). ISBN 0486233685
  • Kroeber, Alfred. (1987). The Nature of Culture. Univ of Chicago Press. (original work published 1952). ISBN 0226454258
  • Kroeber, Alfred. (2000). Cultural and Natural Areas of Native North America. Periodicals Service Co. (original work published 1939). ISBN 0527013943

External links

Credits

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