Ralph Linton facts for kids

Ralph Linton (born February 27, 1893 – died December 24, 1953) was an important American anthropologist. He lived in the middle of the 20th century. He is best known for his books The Study of Man (1936) and The Tree of Culture (1955).

One of Linton's biggest ideas was explaining the difference between status and role. These ideas help us understand how people behave in society.

Ralph Linton's Early Life and Studies

Ralph Linton was born in Philadelphia in 1893. His family were Quakers who owned restaurants. He started college at Swarthmore College in 1911.

At first, he wasn't a very serious student. He didn't want to follow his father's plan for him to become a professional. He became interested in archaeology after joining a field school. This school taught him how to dig up old things.

He even took a year off from his studies. He went to an archaeological dig in Quiriguá, Guatemala. After finding this strong interest, he graduated with honors in 1915.

His University Education

Even though Linton became a famous anthropologist, his higher education was a bit unusual. He went to the University of Pennsylvania. There, he earned his master's degree. He also did more archaeological work in New Jersey and New Mexico.

Later, he joined a Ph.D. program at Columbia University. But he didn't get along well with Franz Boas. Boas was a very important anthropologist at that time.

When America joined World War I, Linton joined the army. He served in France from 1917 to 1919. He was a corporal and fought in battles. He even experienced a German gas attack.

His time in the military greatly influenced his later work. One of his first articles was "Totemism and the A.E.F.". In it, he said that military units identifying with their symbols was like a kind of totemism. Totemism is when a group of people feels a special connection to an animal or symbol.

Linton's military enthusiasm probably didn't help his relationship with Franz Boas. Boas was a pacifist and disliked strong national pride. There's a story that Boas scolded Linton for wearing his military uniform to class.

Soon after returning to the United States, Linton moved to Harvard. There, he studied with other important scholars.

Fieldwork and Focus Shift

After a year at Harvard, Linton did more fieldwork. First, he worked at Mesa Verde. Then, he joined an expedition to the Marquesas Islands. This trip was for the Bishop Museum.

While in the Pacific, his main interest changed. He moved from archaeology to cultural anthropology. Cultural anthropology studies human cultures and societies. However, he always kept an interest in old objects and "primitive" art. He returned from the Marquesas in 1922. He finally received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1925.

Ralph Linton's Career in Academia

After Harvard, Linton got a job at the Field Museum in Chicago. He was the Curator of American Indian materials. He kept working on digs in Ohio. He also studied old records about the Pawnee. He published information collected by others in articles.

From 1925 to 1927, Linton went on a long trip to Madagascar. This was to collect items for the Field Museum. He explored the western part of the Austronesian culture. He had studied the eastern part in the Marquesas. He also did his own fieldwork there. His book, The Tanala: A Hill Tribe of Madagascar (1933), was his most detailed study of a culture.

Teaching and Writing

When he returned to the United States, Linton took a job at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was the first person to work in what became the anthropology department there. Many of his students became important anthropologists.

At Wisconsin, Linton became a strong teacher and writer about theories. This, along with his popular writing, led to his textbook The Study of Man (1936). During this time, he married his third wife, Adelin Hohlfeld. She helped him a lot with his work. She was his secretary, editor, and even wrote some popular pieces with him.

In 1937, Linton moved to Columbia University. He became the head of the Anthropology department. This happened after Franz Boas retired. Many of Boas's students didn't like this choice. They had expected Ruth Benedict to take over.

Later Career and Contributions

When World War II started, Linton helped with war planning. His ideas about the war and America's role were in his later books. These included The Science of Man in the World Crisis (1945). During the war, he also traveled to South America. This trip affected his health.

After the war, Linton moved to Yale University. He taught there from 1946 to 1953. He continued to write about culture and personality. During this time, he started writing The Tree of Culture. This book was a huge look at human culture around the world.

Linton was chosen as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1950. He passed away on Christmas Eve, 1953. His wife, Adelin Hohlfeld Linton, finished The Tree of Culture. It became a very popular textbook.

Ralph Linton's Key Ideas

His book The Study of Man made Linton a top thinker in anthropology. Especially for those outside the main Boasian group. In this book, he explained the ideas of status and role. These ideas help describe how people behave in society.

According to Linton, ascribed status is given to a person without them doing anything. It's like being born into a certain family. Achieved status is earned by a person's actions or effort. For example, becoming a doctor is an achieved status.

Linton said that while these ideas are clear, it's not always easy to tell if a person's status is ascribed or achieved. He also said that a role is the set of behaviors linked to a status. Performing these behaviors is how a person lives out their role.

Linton also became interested in acculturation. This is how cultures change when they meet each other. He worked with other scholars on a major paper called Memorandum for the Study of Acculturation (1936). He also helped students study acculturation. His writings on this topic are still very important.

See also

In Spanish: Ralph Linton para niños