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Franz Boas and John Alden Mason in Puerto Rico: A Critical Caribbean Studies Perspective

Travis Foster

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Published in Race And Nation In Puerto Rican Folklore: Franz Boas And John Alden Mason In Porto Rico (Critical Caribbean Studies)

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Franz Boas and John Alden Mason were two of the most influential anthropologists of the early 20th century. Both men conducted fieldwork in Puerto Rico, and their work has had a lasting impact on the field of Caribbean anthropology.

Boas was a German-born anthropologist who is considered one of the founders of American anthropology. He was a pioneer in the use of ethnographic methods, and he developed a theory of culture that emphasized the importance of cultural relativism.

Race and Nation in Puerto Rican Folklore: Franz Boas and John Alden Mason in Porto Rico (Critical Caribbean Studies)

by Rafael Ocasio

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	4865 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	246 pages

Mason was an American anthropologist who was a student of Boas. He conducted fieldwork in Puerto Rico in the early 1920s, and his work on the island is considered one of the most important early studies of Caribbean culture.

In this book, we examine the work of Boas and Mason in Puerto Rico from a critical Caribbean studies perspective. We argue that Boas and Mason's research was shaped by their colonialist assumptions and that their work has had a lasting impact on the field of Caribbean anthropology.

We begin by examining Boas's theory of culture. Boas argued that culture is not a fixed entity, but rather a constantly changing process. He also argued that culture is not something that is imposed on people from above, but rather something that is created by people themselves.

We then examine Mason's fieldwork in Puerto Rico. Mason's work focused on the island's indigenous Taíno people. He argued that the Taíno were a highly civilized people who had a rich cultural tradition.

We argue that Boas and Mason's work in Puerto Rico was shaped by their colonialist assumptions. Boas and Mason both believed that the Taíno were a primitive people who were in need of civilization. They also believed that Puerto Rico was a backward island that needed to be modernized.

We argue that Boas and Mason's work has had a lasting impact on the field of Caribbean anthropology. Boas's theory of culture has been used to justify the cultural domination of indigenous peoples around the world. Mason's work on the Taíno has been used to support the myth of a benevolent colonialism.

We conclude by arguing that it is important to critically examine the work of Boas and Mason in Free Download to understand the colonialist assumptions that have shaped the field of Caribbean anthropology.

Critical Caribbean Studies

Critical Caribbean studies is a field of scholarship that examines the Caribbean region from a critical perspective. Critical Caribbean studies scholars argue that the Caribbean has been shaped by colonialism, imperialism, and globalization. They also argue that the Caribbean is a region of great cultural diversity and that its people have a rich history of resistance to oppression.

Critical Caribbean studies scholars have examined a wide range of topics, including:

The history of colonialism and imperialism in the Caribbean
The impact of globalization on the Caribbean
The cultural diversity of the Caribbean
The history of resistance to oppression in the Caribbean

Critical Caribbean studies is a growing field of scholarship that is making an important contribution to our understanding of the Caribbean region.

Franz Boas and John Alden Mason were two of the most influential anthropologists of the early 20th century. Their work in Puerto Rico has had a lasting impact on the field of Caribbean anthropology. However, it is important to critically examine the work of Boas and Mason in Free Download to understand the colonialist assumptions that have shaped the field of Caribbean anthropology.

Critical Caribbean studies is a growing field of scholarship that is making an important contribution to our understanding of the Caribbean region.

Race and Nation in Puerto Rican Folklore: Franz Boas and John Alden Mason in Porto Rico (Critical Caribbean Studies)

by Rafael Ocasio

4.5 out of 5