Anthropologie und Ethnologie in Leipzig Ende der 1920er Jahre

Die erste Tagung der Gesellschaft für Völkerkunde und die Expeditionen des Staatlich-Sächsischen Forschungsinstituts für Völkerkunde

Abstract

The article describes the relationship between physical anthropology and ethnology in Germany in the years prior to 1933, with a particular focus on Leipzig. It was here that the first conference of the Association of Ethnology in 1929, organised by Fritz Krause, took place. Among the topics discussed at the conference was the role of physical anthropology in relation to ethnological studies. Leipzig was also the home of the Saxon Research Institute, which provided funds for several ethnological expeditions. Physical anthropology – which at that time often meant 'racial science' – was included in field studies as well as in writing. This will be explored further by discussing the expeditions of Egon Freiherr von Eickstedt, Paul Germann, Joachim Hellmut Wilhelm, Bernhard Struck and Erich Brauer. To investigate the relevance of relations between physical anthropology and ethnology in the past is of historical interest, but it is also important for current discussions about the cooperation between these two disciplines.