Herskovits, Melville (1895-1963)
Among the representatives of culturalism, Melville Herskovits (1895-1963) stands out for his pronounced inclination for African studies, bringing Africa and the Americas closer together around cultural issues, without neglecting the challenges of the historical framework of slavery. His book The Myth of the Negro Past (1942) seeks to restore a historical and cultural past to black Americans. From the 1920s, he was active in several African-American and African contexts. He also participated in the consolidation of the concept of acculturation and produced both monographs and theoretical synthesis texts.
Keywords: Cultural anthropology | Culturalism | 20th century | African Studies | African-American studies | Acculturation
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“Africa and the Americas: Life and Work of Melville Herskovits”
Jerry Gershenhorn, 2017
Melville Jean Herskovits, American anthropologist, was among the founders of African anthropology and African studies in the United States. From the 1920s to the 1960s, Herskovits confronted questions about race and culture in innovative and groundbreaking ways, controverted hierarchical ways (...)
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“‘No Sun Helmets!’ Melville & Frances Herskovits in Brazil”
Livio Sansone, 2021
Between 1935 and 1943, the city of Salvador, Bahia received different degrees of attention by a large number of foreign scholars and intellectuals, all of them impressed – if not seduced – by the “magic” of this city, largely the result of its black popular culture: Donald Pierson (1900-1995), (...)
Secondary sources
Primary sources
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The Myth of the Negro Past
Melville Herskovits, 1941
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“A Preliminary Consideration of the Culture Areas of Africa”
Melville Herskovits, 1924
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“On the Provenience of New World Negroes”
Melville Herskovits, 1933
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“The Negro in Bahia, Brazil: A Problem in Method”
Melville Herskovits, 1943
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“The Present Status and Needs of Afroamerican Research”
Melville Herskovits, 1951
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“The Study of African Oral Art”
Melville Herskovits, 1961
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