Who is considered one of the founding figures of cultural anthropology?

Franz Boas is recognized as one of the founding figures of cultural anthropology largely due to his significant contributions to the discipline in the early 20th century. He is often referred to as the "Father of American Anthropology" because of his role in establishing anthropology in the United States as a distinct and rigorous field of study. Boas emphasized the importance of cultural relativism, which is the idea that a person's beliefs and practices should be understood in their own cultural context rather than judged against the criteria of another culture.

His approach to anthropology focused on fieldwork and the detailed study of cultures through participant observation, which became a cornerstone method in cultural anthropology. Boas also critiqued the notion of unilinear cultural evolution, which suggested that all societies progress through the same stages of development, advocating instead for a more pluralistic view of cultures. His emphasis on empirical research and cultural diversity laid the groundwork for future anthropological research and theory, making him a pivotal figure in the field.

The other notable figures listed certainly made significant contributions to anthropology, but it is Boas whose foundational ideas and methodologies shaped the discipline's early development. Margaret Mead, for example, advanced ideas about culture and personality through her ethnographic work, while Claude Lévi