This book is a compelling study that charts the influence of indigenous thinkers on Franz Boas, the founder of modern anthropology. In 1911, the publication of Franz Boas's The Mind of Primitive Man challenged widely held claims about race and intelligence that justified violence and inequality. Now, this book examines how this groundbreaking work hinged on relationships with a global circle of indigenous thinkers who used Boasian anthropology as a medium for their ideas. Chapters examine how Boasian thought intersected with the work of major modernist figures, demonstrating how ideas of diver ... More

This book is a compelling study that charts the influence of indigenous thinkers on Franz Boas, the founder of modern anthropology. In 1911, the publication of Franz Boas's The Mind of Primitive Man challenged widely held claims about race and intelligence that justified violence and inequality. Now, this book examines how this groundbreaking work hinged on relationships with a global circle of indigenous thinkers who used Boasian anthropology as a medium for their ideas. Chapters examine how Boasian thought intersected with the work of major modernist figures, demonstrating how ideas of diversity and identity sprang from colonization and empire. The focus is on the assemblage of individuals and communities who influenced the production and dissemination of modern concepts of diversity, identity, and belonging. This network of communities, cutting across binaries of race and boundaries of empire, is called the Boasian Circle. The book spotlights indigenous intellectuals, African American and pan-African scholars, German and Jewish scientists, and Latino writers and thinkers, all of whom contributed to the making of global cultural studies.