Author Question: What did Boas mean by saying classification is not explanation? a. He argued that grouping ... (Read 34 times)

nevelica · **on:** Jul 10, 2018

What did Boas mean by saying classification is not explanation?

a. He argued that grouping similar artifacts (across cultures) as like collections does not explain the meaning they had in their own cultural contexts.
b. He meant that museum curators needed to become anthropologists and go out and collect Native explanations for artifacts they were displaying.
c. He meant that explanations do not change from one culture to another and that there is no reason to individually describe each cultural artifact.
d. He argued that history is important and the ways that artifacts have changed over time is more meaningfulthat change over time is more valuable than small differences in similar artifacts.

Question 2

In what way did Boas argue that artifacts should be displayed in museums?

a. Artifacts should be displayed as grouped similarities across cultures, showing that different cultures used similar forms and that all forms were related.
b. Artifacts should be displayed as unique parts of a cultural history of a single group, showing the use and significance of the artifact in a single cultural context.
c. Artifacts should be displayed from simple to complex across cultures to show how humans have developed and progressed over time.
d. Cultural artifacts should not be displayed for public exhibition.