The Top 20 Anthropologists Who Changed History

Cultural anthropology is the study of human cultures, behavior, beliefs, and practices. It provides insights into people’s social, political, economic, and environmental relationships and how they evolved over time. Here is a list of the greatest cultural anthropologists who ushered in new perspectives and groundbreaking changes in the anthropology field.

1. Franz Boas

Father of American anthropology who challenged racial stereotypes and emphasized the cultural context of human behavior.

2. Margaret Mead

Best known for her work on gender roles and sexuality in Samoa.

3. Zora Neale Hurston

African American anthropologist and folklorist who studied black communities in the south and Caribbean.

4. Clifford Geertz

Developed the idea of Thick Description and symbolic anthropology that focused on the meaning and interpretation of culture.

5. Bronislaw Malinowski

Pioneer of participant observation research and functionalism.

6. Eric Wolf

A Marxist anthropologist who focused on the influence of colonialism on indigenous societies.

7. Ruth Benedict

Studied cultural patterns and the relationships between cultures, also famous for coining the terms “synergy” and “cultural configuration”.

8. Claude Levi-Strauss

Founder of structuralism, looking at societal practices and how they create coalition.

9. Dorothy Lee

Studied cultural worldview, symbolic thought and language patterns of another countries to establish ground for inter-ethnic conflicts

10. Mary Douglas

known for her views on the ways societies establish and maintain shared meanings

11. E. E. Pritchard

set the foundation of sociology in Africa, documented traditions, livelihoods, Native cultures and their combinations together

12. Marshall Sahlins

shaped modern theory and methods, brought to light the dependency of individuals on cultural conditioning

13. Clifford James

Seminal researcher of race relations; investigation set human rights on new levels of awareness.

14. Victor Turner

Merge of anthropology with literary studies included symbolic aspects of tradition & ritual.

15. Margaret Conkey

noted art historian and archaeologist who guided archaeological studies in feminist perspective and in non-Western contexts.

16. Leslie White

Founder of cultural evolutionism, carried out extensive studies affiliated with time as a fundamental ordering effect.

17. Carlos Castaneda

Became Popular for portraits depicting history of spirituality and movement via magical-realism explorations.

18. Frederica de Laguna

Known for critical anthropology mixed anthropological constructs of art from discovery to ethnological approach

19. Lewis Wallace

Delegate at Smithsonian Institution and soon became a member of tribal communities settlements, prominent innovator in anthropologic research.

20. Max Gluckman

As a structural-functionalist, he did early philanthropic work scheme comprehensive fieldwork initiatives in divided societies to apprehend the ennobled political networks that directed them