Doing Anthropology in Wartime and War Zones
World War I and the Cultural Sciences in Europe
Description
World War I marks a well-known turning point in anthropology, and this volume is the first to examine the variety of forms it took in Europe. Distinct national traditions emerged and institutes were founded, partly due to collaborations with the military. Researchers in the cultural sciences used war zones to gain access to informants: prisoner-of-war and refugee camps, occupied territories, even the front lines. Anthropologists tailored their inquiries to aid the war effort, contributed to interpretations of the war as a struggle between races, and assessed the warlike nature of the Balkan region, where the Great War first broke out.
Editorial Reviews
“[The] combination of carefully developed specific points of research and thorough reexamination of paradigmatic theoretical models should make this volume an indispensable reading and an important point of reference for years to come.”
—Aleksandar Boskovic, Anthropos
“The publication of this scholarly and well-edited volume is commendable. For those who are already familiar with the history of anthropology, this volume will advance their knowledge of anthropology in wartimes and war zones; for those who do not, it will awaken great interest.”
—Marius Turda, European Association of Social Anthropologists