Sergei Kan, "A Maverick Boasian: The Life and Work of Alexander A. Goldenweiser "
English | ISBN: 1496233484 | 2023 | 268 pages | PDF | 27 MB
A Maverick Boasian explores the often contradictory life of Alexander Goldenweiser (1880-1940), a scholar considered by his contemporaries to be Franz Boas's most brilliant and most favored student. The story of his life and scholarship is complex and exciting as well as frustrating. Although Goldenweiser came to the United States from Russia as a young man, he spent the next forty years thinking of himself as a European intellectual who never felt entirely at home. A talented ethnographer, he developed excellent rapport with his Native American consultants but cut short his fieldwork due to lack of funds. An individualist and an anarchist in politics, he deeply resented having to compromise any of his ideas and freedoms for the sake of professional success. A charming man, he risked his career and family life to satisfy immediate needs and wants.