This early work by Franz Boas was originally published in 1911 and we
are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Half a
Man' is an anthropological work on the status of black people in
society. Franz Boas was born on July 9th 1958, in Minden, Westphalia.
Even though Boas had a passion the natural sciences, he enrolled at the
University at Kiel as an undergraduate in Physics. Boas completed his
degree with a dissertation on the optical properties of water, before
continuing his studies and receiving his doctorate in 1881. Boas became
a professor of Anthropology at Columbia University in 1899 and founded
the first Ph.D program in anthropology in America. He was also a leading
figure in the creation of the American Anthropological Association
(AAA). Franz Boas had a long career and a great impact on many areas of
study. He died on 21st December 1942.