Gods of the Upper Air

Buchzusammenfassung

Charles King is a writer and professor of international affairs and government at Georgetown University. His seven books include Midnight at the Pera Palace and the National Jewish Book Award winner Odessa. King’s articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and Foreign Affairs.

The American ideal of equality, symbolized in the national anthem, only began to hold weight after slavery’s abolition, though systemic inequalities persisted through Jim Crow laws and discriminatory immigration policies. These practices, rooted in beliefs of racial superiority, influenced early anthropology, which often reinforced such hierarchies. Franz Boas, however, challenged these notions, advocating for cultural relativism and emphasizing the unique historical contexts of societies. His groundbreaking work, shaped by his Arctic and Pacific Northwest research, laid the foundation for modern anthropology. Boas mentored figures like Zora Neale Hurston and Margaret Mead, who expanded his ideas by exploring the cultural dimensions of race, gender, and adolescence. Hurston’s studies highlighted the resilience of marginalized communities, while Mead’s research in Samoa and New Guinea questioned rigid Western gender roles, introducing revolutionary perspectives on sex and culture. Despite facing criticism, Boas and his circle fundamentally reshaped the understanding of human diversity, a legacy that remains vital in combating prejudice today.

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