Happy Birthday Franz Boas
The American Anthropological Association salutes the renowned anthropologist, author of a seminal Annals paper.
Published July 03, 2009
Franz Boas, circa 1915.
The American Anthropological Association (AAA) took note July 9 of the birthday of Franz Boas (1858-1942), hailed as the father of modern anthropology. According to the AAA, Boas "made significant contributions to all four fields of anthropology," and is honored through AAA’s annual Franz Boas Award for Exemplary Service to Anthropology.
This year, according to a posting on the AAA's blog, Boas’ birthday was recognized on The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor. Last year, others celebrated Boas’ 150th birthday through public tributes.
The Academy also can claim a relationship with Boas, who authored a seminal 1912 paper in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences entitled The History of the American Race. That paper is available in open access as part of the Academy's virtual collection of evolution-related Annals papers, a special compilation put together to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of member Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's groundbreaking On the Origin of Species.