Résumés
Abstract
This article examines the anthropological context of Rudolf Virchow’s study of two Labrador Inuit families displayed at an 1880 Völkerschau (‘ethnographic exhibit’) in Berlin, and how the latter reflected the ongoing discourse of the Inuit as a “race.” It also discusses how Virchow’s anthropometrical methodology and findings regarding the two families are linked to Franz Boas’ Arctic fieldwork and subsequent anthropological research. Virchow, one of the founders of German ethnology and anthropology, had contributed to a sparse “scientific” discourse surrounding the “Esquimaux” with several studies on Arctic peoples, before meeting the young Boas. In particular, this Völkerschau provided him with the unprecedented opportunity of studying the Labrador Inuit directly. An analysis of his study, and other work by Virchow, sheds light on the contemporary issues of anthropological interpretation, which he faced, and how his approach lent itself to the choice of Baffin Island by Boas as a site of fieldwork, as well as the shift towards cultural relativism.
Résumé
Cet article examine le contexte anthropologique de l’étude de Rudolf Virchow concernant deux familles inuit du Labrador présentées durant l'exposition ethnographique (Völkerschau) de Berlin en 1880 et la façon dont celle-ci reflètait le discours de l’époque sur les Inuit en tant que «race». On y discuste aussi de la façon dont la méthodologie anthropométrique de Virchow et ses découvertes concernant les deux familles font le lien avec le travail sur le terrain de Franz Boas en Arctique ainsi que ses futures recherches anthropologiques. Virchow, un des créateurs de l’ethnologie et de l’anthropologie allemandes, avait contribué à un discours «scientifique» plutôt limité au sujet des «Esquimaux», grâce à plusieurs études sur les peuples de l’Arctique, avant de rencontrer le jeune Boas. En particulier, le Völkerschau lui a offert sa première opportunité d’étudier les Inuit du Labrador directement. Une analyse de cette étude et d’autres travaux de Virchow apportent un éclairage différent sur les problèmes contemporains de l’interprétation anthropologique auxquels il a dû faire face. Elle montre aussi comment son approche a conduit au choix de la Terre de Baffin par Boas comme zone de recherche sur le terrain et aussi, au changement vers le relativisme culturel.
Parties annexes
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