A. L. Kroeber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
A. L. Kroeber
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Kroeber with Ishi in 1911
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Alfred Louis Kroeber
June 11, 1876 |
| Died | October 5, 1960 (aged 84) Paris, France
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| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | Ted and Clifton Brown Kroeber (adopted), Karl and Ursula Kroeber |
| Parent(s) | Florence Kroeber and Johanna Muller |
| Awards | Viking Fund Medal (1946) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley |
| Doctoral advisor | Franz Boas |
| Doctoral students | Cora Du Bois, Margaret Lantis, Katharine Luomala, Laura Maud Thompson, Charles F. Voegelin, |
| Influenced | H. Stuart Hughes |
Alfred Louis Kroeber (born June 11, 1876 – died October 5, 1960) was an important American cultural anthropologist. An anthropologist studies human societies and cultures. Kroeber earned his PhD in anthropology from Columbia University in 1901. This was the very first anthropology doctorate given by Columbia.
He also became the first professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of California, Berkeley. He helped create the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology there. He was the director of this museum from 1909 to 1947. Kroeber is well-known for his studies of Ishi. Ishi was believed to be the last surviving member of the Yahi people. Alfred Kroeber was also the father of the famous writer Ursula K. Le Guin.
Contents
About Alfred Kroeber's Life
Alfred Kroeber was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. His parents were from Germany. His mother, Johanna Muller, was an American of German background. His father, Florence Kroeber, came to the United States from Germany when he was ten. His father became an importer of French clocks.
Alfred's family moved to New York City when he was young. He went to private schools there. The family spoke German at home. Kroeber also learned Latin and Greek in school. This started his lifelong interest in languages.
Education and Early Career
Kroeber went to Columbia College when he was 16. He earned a degree in English in 1896. Then he got a master's degree in drama in 1897. He later changed his focus to the new field of anthropology.
He earned his PhD in anthropology from Columbia University in 1901. His dissertation was about decorative symbols. He based it on his studies among the Arapaho people. This was the first anthropology doctorate awarded by Columbia.
Work at Berkeley
Kroeber spent most of his career in California. He worked mainly at the University of California, Berkeley. He was both a Professor of Anthropology and the Director of the University of California Museum of Anthropology. Today, this museum is called the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology.
The anthropology building at the University of California was named Kroeber Hall in his honor. However, it was renamed on January 26, 2021. This was done to "help Berkeley recognize a challenging part of our history." It also helps to "better support the diversity of today’s academic community." Kroeber worked at Berkeley until he retired in 1946.
Kroeber's Family Life
Kroeber married Henriette Rothschild in 1906. She became ill with tuberculosis (TB) and passed away in 1913.
In 1926, he married again. His second wife was Theodora Kracaw Brown. She was a student in one of his classes. They had two children together. Their son was Karl Kroeber, who became a literary critic. Their daughter was Ursula Kroeber Le Guin, a famous science fiction writer.
Alfred also adopted Theodora's two sons from her first marriage. Their names were Ted and Clifton Brown. They both took Kroeber's last name. In 2003, Clifton and Karl Kroeber published a book. It was called Ishi in Three Centuries. This book was important because it included essays by Native American writers.
Death
Alfred Kroeber passed away in Paris, France, on October 5, 1960.
Kroeber's Impact on Anthropology
Alfred Kroeber is best known as a cultural anthropologist. But he also did important work in archaeology and anthropological linguistics. Archaeology is the study of human history through digging up old sites. Anthropological linguistics is the study of language in relation to culture. Kroeber helped connect these different areas of study.
He led excavations in New Mexico, Mexico, and Peru. In Peru, he helped start the Institute for Andean Studies (IAS). He worked with Peruvian anthropologist Julio C. Tello and other scholars.
Studying Native American Cultures
Kroeber and his students gathered a lot of information about Native American tribes in the western United States. Their work helped preserve knowledge about California tribes. This information was published in his book Handbook of the Indians of California (1925).
In this book, Kroeber described how some California groups were organized. They were smaller and less structured than a typical tribe. He later used the term "tribelet" to describe these groups.
Kroeber also helped develop several important ideas in anthropology. These include:
- Culture area: A region where different cultures share similar traits.
- Cultural configuration: The unique patterns and styles that make up a culture.
- Cultural fatigue: The idea that cultures can become tired or run out of new ideas.
Working with Ishi
Kroeber is famous for working with Ishi. Ishi was believed to be the last Yahi Indian from California. Kroeber's second wife, Theodora Kracaw Kroeber, wrote a well-known book about Ishi called Ishi in Two Worlds. Kroeber's relationship with Ishi was also shown in a 1992 film called The Last of His Tribe.
Influential Writings
Kroeber's textbook, Anthropology (first published in 1923), was used by many students for years. His book, Configurations of Cultural Growth (1944), explored the idea of genius and greatness. Kroeber believed that great thinkers and artists appear when a culture is ready for them. He did not believe that "great men" just appear out of nowhere.
Indian Land Claims Work
Kroeber also played a role in legal cases about Native American land. He was the research director for the plaintiffs (the Native American groups) in the case Indians of California v. the United States. This case was about land claims.
Two of his former students, Omer Stewart and Ralph Beals, also worked on this case. Kroeber's work helped set the standard for how experts would present information in front of the Indian Claims Commission. Many of his former students also became expert witnesses in similar cases.
Awards and Honors
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1912)
- Received five honorary degrees from universities like Yale and Harvard.
- Awarded two gold medals.
- Held honorary membership in 16 scientific societies.
- President of the American Anthropological Association (1917–1918)
Partial List of Works
- with Clyde Kluckhohn: Culture. A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions (1952).
- Anthropology: Culture Patterns & Processes (1963). (Earlier editions in 1923 and 1948).
See also
In Spanish: Alfred Kroeber para niños
