What will I learn about: how Franz Boas and his circle pioneered cultural anthropology to challenge the pseudoscientific racism of the Jim Crow era and lay the foundation for modern civil rights?

Discover how Franz Boas and his circle pioneered cultural anthropology to challenge the pseudoscientific racism of the Jim Crow era and lay the foundation for modern civil rights.

What will I learn about: how early anthropologists initially justified white supremacy by falsely ranking human societies on a hierarchical scale from savagery to civilization?

Understand how early anthropologists initially justified white supremacy by falsely ranking human societies on a hierarchical scale from savagery to civilization.

What will I learn about: Learn how a perilous Arctic expedition alongside the Inuit people taught Boas that human intelligence and education are entirely relative to one's individual circumstances?

Learn how a perilous Arctic expedition alongside the Inuit people taught Boas that human intelligence and education are entirely relative to one's individual circumstances.

What will I learn about: Explore why Boas fiercely rejected institutional theories of cultural evolution, arguing instead that a community's unique history shapes its practices far more than its environment?

Explore why Boas fiercely rejected institutional theories of cultural evolution, arguing instead that a community's unique history shapes its practices far more than its environment.

What will I learn about: how evidence-driven research by trailblazers like Margaret Mead and Zora Neale Hurston dismantled assumptions of European superiority and transformed modern perspectives on gender, sex, and race?

Find out how evidence-driven research by trailblazers like Margaret Mead and Zora Neale Hurston dismantled assumptions of European superiority and transformed modern perspectives on gender, sex, and race.

Gods of the Upper Air

How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century

Charles King

★ 4.1 / 5(57 ratings)

Start ListeningDownload QR code that opens AudiobookHub on the App Store

Try free on iPhoneScan to start in 5 seconds

Categories:

Society & Culture History

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that our modern understanding of race and gender was shaped by a small circle of renegade scientists who risked everything to dismantle the pseudoscientific theories of their time?
💡Have you ever wondered how iconic figures like Zora Neale Hurston and Margaret Mead revolutionized the way we see human nature through their daring travels and forbidden romances?
💡Are you curious about the secret history behind the seismic shift that moved society from biological racism to the cultural awareness we have today?

Listen to Gods of the Upper Air — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from Gods of the Upper Air

✓Discover how Franz Boas and his circle pioneered cultural anthropology to challenge the pseudoscientific racism of the Jim Crow era and lay the foundation for modern civil rights.
✓Understand how early anthropologists initially justified white supremacy by falsely ranking human societies on a hierarchical scale from savagery to civilization.
✓Learn how a perilous Arctic expedition alongside the Inuit people taught Boas that human intelligence and education are entirely relative to one's individual circumstances.
✓Explore why Boas fiercely rejected institutional theories of cultural evolution, arguing instead that a community's unique history shapes its practices far more than its environment.
✓Find out how evidence-driven research by trailblazers like Margaret Mead and Zora Neale Hurston dismantled assumptions of European superiority and transformed modern perspectives on gender, sex, and race.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Gods of the Upper Air

Mind Map

Gods of the Upper Air

Context of Early Anthropology+

Franz Boas & Cultural Relativism+

Dismantling Racial Science+

Margaret Mead & Gender Constructs+

Zora Neale Hurston & Diaspora Cultures+

Legacy & Modern Relevance+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

What was the prevailing theory among early anthropologists, such as Lewis Henry Morgan, before Franz Boas introduced his ideas?

A. Cultures should be assessed individually without comparing them to a Western standard.
B. Societies progress through a universal, evolutionary hierarchy from savagery to civilization.
C. Environmental factors are the sole determinant of the physical traits of a race.
D. African diaspora societies are vibrant cultures worthy of independent study.

Question 2 of 8

How did Franz Boas's early expedition to Baffin Island shape his anthropological worldview?

A. He discovered that Inuit migration patterns matched those of early European settlers.
B. He concluded that harsh environments prevent societies from developing complex cultural practices.
C. He realized his Western education rendered him powerless in the Arctic, showing that knowledge and culture are relative to individual circumstances.
D. He found evidence that indigenous populations were biologically and genetically adapted to extreme cold.

Question 3 of 8

According to Boas, what is the proper scientific method for anthropological research?

A. Classifying cultural artifacts into distinct stages of evolutionary development.
B. Collecting extensive data through in-depth examination of cultures before drawing theoretical conclusions.
C. Comparing all indigenous practices to Western civilization to measure their level of progress.
D. Focusing exclusively on measuring the biological and genetic differences between isolated populations.

Question 4 of 8

What was the major finding of the large-scale anthropometry study Boas conducted on immigrants in New York City in 1908?

A. Immigrant children retained the exact, fixed physical traits of their ancestral racial groups regardless of where they lived.
B. The influx of non-Nordic Europeans was physically deteriorating the biological health of the American population.
C. Environmental and dietary conditions caused US-born immigrant children to physically resemble other US-born children more than their ancestral groups.
D. Physical traits could be used as a highly reliable marker to determine a person's inherent intelligence and civilized nature.

Question 5 of 8

How did Margaret Mead's anthropological research in places like Samoa and New Guinea transform Western understandings of sex and gender?

A. She proved that gender roles are universally determined by biological sex across all human societies.
B. She demonstrated that the social roles assigned to men and women are cultural constructs rather than strict biological mandates.
C. She argued that the struggles of adolescence are purely hormonal and entirely unaffected by a society's cultural environment.
D. She established that polygamy is the only natural, biologically driven state for human relationships.

Question 6 of 8

How did Zora Neale Hurston's approach to studying African diaspora populations differ from the standard anthropological views of her time?

A. She viewed diaspora populations as 'broken cultures' that only possessed fragmented remnants of ancient African traditions.
B. She focused entirely on the biological and genetic traits of African Americans in the Southern United States.
C. She argued that African diaspora cultures should rapidly assimilate into Western civilization in order to survive.
D. She believed diaspora cultures should be studied as vibrant, worthy subject matters on their own terms rather than as damaged societies.

Question 7 of 8

During her fieldwork in Haiti, what did Zora Neale Hurston conclude about the local belief in zombies?

A. It was a literal medical condition caused by a previously undiscovered tropical virus.
B. It was a cultural mechanism used to bring order to a chaotic world, providing a category for those who were socially disregarded.
C. It was a superstitious hindrance that intentionally prevented Haiti from modernizing its medical practices.
D. It was a complete hoax invented by local magic practitioners to extort money from Western anthropologists.

Question 8 of 8

Despite their pioneering work, how were Boasian anthropologists like Margaret Mead viewed by some later generations of scholars and feminists?

A. They were universally praised for directly causing the legal dismantling of Jim Crow laws in the 1960s.
B. They were condemned for secretly supporting the eugenics movement and the ideas of Madison Grant.
C. They were criticized for using outdated methods, and Mead was accused of exacerbating differences between men and women.
D. They were ignored completely because their findings were proven to only apply to isolated indigenous tribes.

Gods of the Upper Air — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — In the Jim Crow era, deep social prejudices shaped policies rooted in pseudoscience.
32 — After an early experience on Baffin Island, Franz Boas came to see humanity as individuality.
43 — Boas advocated understanding cultures by collecting data and then using inductive reasoning.
54 — Boas disproved racial science by measuring thousands of people in New York City.
65 — Margaret Mead’s anthropological interests were closely tied to her personal life.
76 — Mead’s anthropological work reshaped her views on sex and gender.
87 — Zora Neale Hurston’s field research treated African diaspora culture as worthy subject matter in its own right.
98 — Although some criticize their methods, Boasian ideas still matter today.
109 — Final summary

Gods of the Upper Air Summary & Overview

Gods of the Upper Air (2019) details the story of how Franz Boas, Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, Zora Neale Hurston and other researchers challenged pseudoscientific theories upholding racism and established the modern discipline of cultural anthropology. Tracing the travels, romances and ideas that bound this group together, these blinks recount what became a seismic shift in notions of race, sex and gender identity.

Who Should Listen to Gods of the Upper Air?

Students of anthropology, sociology and gender studies
Zora Neale Hurston fans
Americans interested in racial history

About the Author: Charles King

Charles King is a writer and professor of international affairs and government at Georgetown University. His seven books include Midnight at the Pera Palace and the National Jewish Book Award winner Odessa. King’s articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and Foreign Affairs.

Gods of the Upper Air

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Gods of the Upper Air — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Gods of the Upper Air

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Gods of the Upper Air — Full Chapter Overview

Gods of the Upper Air Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Gods of the Upper Air?

About the Author: Charles King

Books Similar to Gods of the Upper Air