Primitive Man (1928-1952)

Primitive Man: Quarterly Bulletin of the Catholic Anthropological Conference, was published between 1928 and 1952 by the Department of Anthropology at the Catholic University of America. While its contributors, from Catholic circles, perceived anthropology as the science of scriptless peoples, and therefore not concerning “the great European-American and Asian civilizations”, the journal actually reflected the modernist tendencies within the Catholic Church and took the works produced by the culturalist school as a quality reference, which it tried to imitate. The Boasian “four field” approach (cultural anthropology, linguistics, archaeology and physical anthropology) is also influential, but the journal goes beyond the Americanist focus of most of Franz Boas’ disciples, thanks in particular to the contributions of missionaries, among others.

Keywords: Linguistics | Social and cultural anthropology | Ethnography | Christian missions | 20^th century | Catholicism | Journals and periodicals