Historical Particularism Anthropological Theory IB Anthropology UWC Costa Rica

Key Theorist Franz Boas – founder of American Four-Field Anthropology ‘Race, Language and Culture’ (1940) – collection of essays Contributed mainly to cultural, biological and linguistic anthropology

‘Biological studies of European Immigrants to USA Revealed and measure phenotypical plasticity Children of immigrants differed physically from parents – not because of genetic change but because of growing up in different environment Boas demonstrated that human biology was plastic – it could be changed by the environment including cultural factors Boas strived to prove that biology (including race did not determine culture

Boas + Fieldwork Studied language and culture among Native Americans esp. Kwakiutl of North Pacific coast New York Columbia University… many influential students e.g Mead and Benedict Boas and students took criticised Unilinear Evolutionism, particularly idea of preordained evolutionary path

Given cultural feature does not follow single path of development E.g. totemism did not follow single path of development but could arise for many reasons Known as Historical Particularism Histories of totemism in societies A, B and C have all been different, forms of totemism have different causes which makes them incomparable They might seem to be the same, but are really different, because they have different histories

Rejection of Comparative Method Boasian Historical Particularism rejects comparative method advocated by Tylor and Morgan (as well as many anthropologists today) But how to explain cultural generalities (cultural traits shared by many – but not all – societies)?

Explaining cultural generalities Evolutionists stressed independent invention – eventually, people in may areas had developed same cultural solution to a common problem E.g. Agriculture was invented several times Boasians reject this view. Stress importance of diffusion (borrowing) among cultures

Analytical Units of Diffusion Culture Trait: e.g. a bow and arrow Trait Complex: the hunting pattern that goes along with use of a bow and arrow Culture Area: based on diffusion of traits and trait complexes across a particular geographic area e.g. Plains or Pacific Northwest These areas usually had environmental boundaries limiting spread of cultural traits outside that area

Analytical Units of Diffusion For Boasian anthropologists, historical particularism and diffusion are complementary concepts. As culture traits diffused, they developed their particular histories as they entered and moved through particular societies

Summary Historical Particularism based on idea that each element of culture has its own distinctive history Social forms that may look familiar are actually far from identical because of their different histories Historical Particularism rejects comparison and generalization – favours an individuating historical approach