A Study of Man: The Growing Pains of 19th and 20th Century Anthropology

While the study of other cultures has been a focus of scholars since ancient times, anthropology as we know it today developed in the 18th and 19th centuries as part of an effort to understand humanity and human societies as phenomena governed by natural principles. Early anthropologists were often natural historians who attempted to study humans in the same way that they studied geology or botany. 

This exhibit explores the early development of anthropology as a study of humanity using items from the Open Court correspondence collection, articles from the Open Court, and items from the OC rare books collection. It examines early theories about the origins of humanity, research into human behavior, and the pseudoscientific theories that developed around the field in the 1800s.

While anthropologists in the 1800s genuinely sought to understand humanity and its origins, anthropological theories were often used as a tool of colonialism and to justify discrimination. These materials reflect a wide range of views and practices on the developing field, and by modern standards may contain content that is outdated or controversial.