Document Detail


The unmaking of an anthropologist: Wallace returns from the field, 1862-70.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20503822     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
This essay follows Alfred Russel Wallace back from the field in 1862, tracing how his views on human evolution developed after his field experiences in the East Indies and how he articulated them within the social structure of British science during the 1860s. It analyses his involvement in the metropolitan scientific institutions dedicated to the study of man, the Ethnological Society of London and its breakaway counterpart, the Anthropological Society of London, which offered differing visions for a science of man and its intersection with political commitments. Using evidence from his participation in society meetings, the reception of his own anthropological papers, and the responses to the views he expressed in his field travel narrative, The Malay Archipelago, I show that although Wallace's involvement was initially enthusiastic, over time his views came into conflict with both groups. His involvement in established human science institutions declined, and Wallace turned towards other social locations for cultivating his knowledge of and engagement with questions involving the study of humanity.
Authors:
Jeremy Vetter
Publication Detail:
Type:  Biography; Historical Article; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Notes and records of the Royal Society of London     Volume:  64     ISSN:  0035-9149     ISO Abbreviation:  Notes Rec R Soc Lond     Publication Date:  2010 Mar 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-05-27     Completed Date:  2010-08-20     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7505774     Medline TA:  Notes Rec R Soc Lond     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  25-42     Citation Subset:  QIS    
Affiliation:
Department of History, Dickinson College, PO Box 1773, Carlisle, PA 17013, USA. vetterj@dickinson.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Anthropology / history*
Continental Population Groups
England
Geology / history
History, 20th Century
Humans
Male
Social Behavior
Personal Name Subject
Personal Name Subject:
Alfred Russel Wallace

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