Melville Herskovits
Melville J. Herskovits
Melville Jean Herskovits (September 10, 1895 – February 25, 1963) was a pioneering American anthropologist who made significant contributions to the study of African and African Diaspora cultures. He was instrumental in establishing the field of study concerning the cultural heritage of Africans in the New World, particularly in the context of African American history and culture.
Early Life and Education
Herskovits was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio. He completed his Ph.B. at the University of Chicago in 1920. He went on to earn both his M.A. (1921) and Ph.D. (1923) at Columbia University, where he was heavily influenced by the renowned anthropologist Franz Boas. This mentorship played a crucial role in shaping Herskovits’s humanistic and relativistic approach to culture.
Academic Career
Initially, Herskovits served as a lecturer in anthropology at Columbia and Howard University. His career took a significant turn in 1927 when he moved to Northwestern University, where he remained until his death. At Northwestern, he founded the first anthropology department dedicated to the study of African and African American cultures in the United States.
Contributions to Anthropology
Herskovits's work was groundbreaking in that it challenged prevailing assumptions about African and African American cultures. His seminal work, The Myth of the Negro Past (1941), contested the idea that African Americans had lost their African cultural heritage due to the transatlantic slave trade and subsequent assimilation into American society. Instead, Herskovits argued that African cultural elements remained persistent and influential within African American communities, a view that contributed to the field of cultural anthropology's understanding of cultural retention and transformation.
Legacy
Herskovits's legacy extends beyond his academic contributions. The ASA Best Book Prize, formerly known as the Herskovits Prize, is awarded annually by the African Studies Association to honor outstanding scholarship in African studies. His work laid the groundwork for future studies in African cultures and the African diaspora, influencing both his contemporaries and subsequent generations of anthropologists.