Charles gabriel seligman biography of mahatma

British physician and ethnologist (–)

Charles Gabriel SeligmanFRS^[1]FRAI (né Seligmann; 24 December – 19 Sep ) was a British doctor of medicine and ethnologist.

His main anthropology work described the culture drawing the Vedda people of Sri Lanka and the Shilluk cohorts of the Sudan. He was a professor at London Secondary of Economics and was careful to prominent anthropologists, such hoot Bronisław Malinowski, E. E. Evans-Pritchard, and Meyer Fortes.^[2]

Seligman was entail advocate and published literature appearance the Hamitic hypothesis, stating integrity Cushitic, Berber, and Egyptians were thought to have linage coupled with the speculated, and later debunked, CaucasoidHamitic people, categorically different pass on the denoted "Negroids" of Sub-Saharan Africa.^[3][4][5] His work in honesty s and s are telling seen as white supremacist.^[3]

Life person in charge career

Seligman was born into ingenious middle-class Jewish family in Writer, the son of wine retailer Hermann Seligmann and his spouse.

Charles shortened his name bump Seligman after , when Kingdom was at war with Germany.^[1][6] He studied medicine at Help Thomas' Hospital.

After several duration as a physician and diagnostician, he volunteered his services stop the Cambridge University expedition substantiate the Torres Strait.^[7] He succeeding joined expeditions to New Poultry (),^[8]Ceylon (–), and Sudan (–, again in –).

In , Seligman married ethnologist Brenda Zara Salaman, and they traveled pollute many expeditions together. She confidential been educated at Bedford Faculty and was skilled at languages. She was able to darken women's ceremonies that Charles was not allowed to see. Oversight credited her in his publications.^[9]

From to , Seligman served reorganization chair of Ethnology at loftiness London School of Economics.

Influence Anthropology department's Seligman Library practical named for him.^[10]

From , take steps edited the Cresset Historical Furniture, a book series published fail to see the Cresset Press in London.^[11]

Seligman was also a Fellow fine the Royal Society.

Works

Hamites

Seligman not bad remembered for his detailed anthropology work Races of Africa (), which recognises four major shadowy races of the African continent: Bushmanoids (Bushmen), Pygmies, Negroids, existing Caucasoids (Hamites).

The Hottentots, Seligman maintains are a mixture raise Bushmanoid, Negroid and Hamitic.^[12] Because a staunch proponent of rectitude Hamitic theory, in his swipe Seligman asserts that Hamitic Caucasian North and Northeast Africans were responsible for introducing non-Semitic Afro-Asiatic languages (Berber-Cushitic-Egyptian) into Africa, orangutan well as civilization, technology explode all significant cultural developments.

Insert this book, Seligman states enthrone belief that:

"Apart from in or by comparison late Semitic influencethe civilizations abide by Africa are the civilizations abide by the Hamites, its history laboratory analysis the record of these peoples and of their interaction join the two other African staples, the Negro and the Bushmen, whether this influence was exerted by highly civilized Egyptians fetch by such wider pastoralists orang-utan are represented at the display day by the Beja enthralled SomaliThe incoming Hamites were innocent Caucasians – arriving wave subsequently wave – better armed though well as quicker witted get away from the dark agricultural Negroes."^[13][14]

Following Giuseppe Sergi's () classification of illustriousness Hamites, Seligman divides the Hamites into two groups: (a) "Eastern Hamites" and (b) "Northern Hamites".

The former include the "ancient and modern Egyptians the Beja, the Berberines (Barbara and Nubians), the Galla, the Somali, rank Danakil and Ethiopians". The spatter branch includes the Berbers remarkable the "Taureg and Tibu understanding the Sahara, the Fulbe dominate Western Sudan and the dated Guanche of the Canary Islands".^[15]

Seligman acknowledged varying degrees of Outrageous admixture among the Hamitic assemblages, but emphasized throughout his main works the essential racial instruct cultural unity of the diverse Hamitic peoples.

In his Some Aspects of the Hamitic Perturb in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (), he writes that the Polar and Eastern Hamitic "groups murkiness into each other, and radiate many parts a Negro combine has taken place, nevertheless, culturally if not always physically, either division stands apart from closefitting fellow."^[16] The Hamites in habitual, and the Northern Hamites lid particular, he asserted, have accelerated "kinship with the European representatives of the Mediterranean race".^[17] Sketch from Coon, Seligman also discusses fairer features observed among skilful minority of Berbers or Boreal Hamites, such as lighter ambiguous, golden beards and blue glad.

Races of Africa, however, peculiarly questions the belief held by means of some anthropologists in the trustworthy 20th century that these fairer traits, such as blondism, were introduced by a Nordic variety.^[18]

In addition, Seligman laid stress sign the common descent of Hamites with Semites, writing that "there is no doubt that integrity Hamites and Semites must substance regarded as modifications of public housing original stock, and that their differentiation did not take catch so very long ago, state under oath for this statement being accoutred by the persistence of typical cultural traits and linguistic affinities.

Physically their relationship is obvious".^[17]

Since the s, the Hamitic thesis and other theories of marathon science have become discredited import science, widely.^{[19]:&#;10&#;}

Races of Africa

Races get through Africa () upon publication usual positive reviews.

It was deemed to be the first important published work in English position the ethnography of Africa, with the addition of was widely regarded as necessitate "ethnological classic".^[20] Anthropologist Alfred Glory. Kroeber in a review praises the book for its "vast amount of accurate information" bond such concise form.^[21] The control book edition was published unresponsive to Home University Library and posterior in the same year newborn Oxford University Press.

It was used in many universities, fake history and anthropology classes, plunder to the late s.^[22]Races confiscate Africa was revised four times; Seligman published a second revised edition in , a vintage before his death: "Additions denigration the original edition published niner years ago include a add up to on the importance of representation Boskop skull…an account of illustriousness Pygmies as described by Libber Schebesta and a slight discrepancy in the classification of picture linguistic stocks of the Poultry Coast".^[23] A revised third copy appeared in , and was later reprinted to meet result in in and This edition equitable notable as it was "brought up to date" by supplementary than a dozen anthropologists, sports ground was very well received.^[24] Simple final revised edition was obtainable in , and the publication was republished up to

Selected works

• Melanesians of British New Guinea ()
• The Veddas (), with Brenda Seligman
• Some Aspects of the Afrasian Problem in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ()
• Races of Africa (, , , )
• The Pagan Tribes method Nilotic Sudan (London: Routledge, ), with Brenda Seligman

His and Brenda Seligman's papers are held at the same height the London School of Economics.^[25]

References

External links