Anthropology’s Global Histories: The Ethnographic Frontier in German New Guinea, 1870–1935

Rainer F. Buschmann

Published by University of Hawaii Press 2008

Anthropology’s Global Histories

The Ethnographic Frontier in German New Guinea, 1870–1935

Rainer F. Buschmann

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824861476

Overview
Contents

About this book

Anthropologists and world historians make strange bedfellows. Although the latter frequently employ anthropological methods in their descriptions of cross-cultural exchanges, the former have raised substantial reservations about global approaches to history. Fearing loss of specificity, anthropologists object to the effacing qualities of techniques employed by world historians—this despite the fact that anthropology itself was a global, comparative enterprise in the nineteenth century.Rainer Buschmann here seeks to recover some of anthropology’s global flavor by viewing its history in Oceania through the notion of the ethnographic frontier—the furthermost limits of the anthropologically known regions of the Pacific. The colony of German New Guinea (1884–1914) presents an ideal example of just such a contact zone. Colonial administrators there were drawn to approaches partially inspired by anthropology. Anthropologists and museum officials exploited this interest by preparing large-scale expeditions to German New Guinea.
Buschmann explores the resulting interactions between German colonial officials, resident ethnographic collectors, and indigenous peoples, arguing that all were instrumental in the formation of anthropological theory. He shows how changes in collecting aims and methods helped shift ethnographic study away from its focus on material artifacts to a broader consideration of indigenous culture. He also shows how ethnological collecting, often a competitive affair, could become politicized and connect to national concerns. Finally, he places the German experience in the broader context of Euro-American anthropology.
Anthropology's Global Histories will interest students and scholars of anthropology, history, world history, and Pacific studies.

Author / Editor information

Buschmann Rainer F. :

Rainer F. Buschmann is program chair and professor of history at California State University Channel Islands.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Introduction: Toward a Global History of Anthropology Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Berlin’s Monopoly Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	12
2. Commercializing the Ethnographic Frontier Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	29
3. Losing the Monopoly Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	50
4. Restructuring Ethnology and Imperialism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
5. Albert Hahl and the Colonization of the Ethnographic Frontier Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
6. Indigenous Reactions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	118
7. The Ethnographic Frontier in German Postcolonial Visions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	137
Anthropology’s Global Histories in Oceania Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	154
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	171
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	229
About the Author Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	235

Language: English
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 246
Illustrations
- Other: 4 b&w images, 3 maps, 1 graph

eBook

Published: October 31, 2008
ISBN: 9780824861476