Boas's Changes in Bodily Form: The Immigrant Study, Cranial Plasticity, and Boas's Physical Anthropology Export

@article{citeulike:2597339, abstract = {In two recent articles, we and another set of researchers independently reanalyzed data from Franz Boas's classic study of immigrants and their descendants. Whereas we confirm Boas's overarching conclusion regarding the plasticity of cranial form, Corey Sparks and Richard Jantz argue that Boas was incorrect. Here we attempt to reconcile these apparently incompatible conclusions. We first address methodological differences between our reanalyses and suggest that (1) Sparks and Jantz posed a different set of questions than we did, and (2) their results are largely consistent with our own. We then discuss our differing understandings of Boas's original argument and of the concept of cranial plasticity. In particular, we argue that Sparks and Jantz attribute to Boas a position he explicitly rejected. When we clarify Boas's position and place the immigrant study in historical context, Sparks and Jantz's renalysis supports our conclusion that, on the whole, Boas got it right. [Keywords: Franz Boas, plasticity, anthropometry, heritability, immigrant study]}, author = {Gravlee, Clarence C. and Bernard, Russell H. and Leonard, William R.}, citeulike-article-id = {2597339}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1525/aa.2003.105.2.326}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/aa.2003.105.2.326}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/120130130/ABSTRACT}, doi = {10.1525/aa.2003.105.2.326}, journal = {American Anthropologist}, keywords = {biocultural, gene-environment, growth, immigration, plasticity, race}, number = {2}, pages = {326--332}, posted-at = {2008-07-07 17:00:41}, priority = {0}, title = {Boas's Changes in Bodily Form: The Immigrant Study, Cranial Plasticity, and Boas's Physical Anthropology}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/aa.2003.105.2.326}, volume = {105}, year = {2003} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2597339 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2597339 N2 - In two recent articles, we and another set of researchers independently reanalyzed data from Franz Boas's classic study of immigrants and their descendants. Whereas we confirm Boas's overarching conclusion regarding the plasticity of cranial form, Corey Sparks and Richard Jantz argue that Boas was incorrect. Here we attempt to reconcile these apparently incompatible conclusions. We first address methodological differences between our reanalyses and suggest that (1) Sparks and Jantz posed a different set of questions than we did, and (2) their results are largely consistent with our own. We then discuss our differing understandings of Boas's original argument and of the concept of cranial plasticity. In particular, we argue that Sparks and Jantz attribute to Boas a position he explicitly rejected. When we clarify Boas's position and place the immigrant study in historical context, Sparks and Jantz's renalysis supports our conclusion that, on the whole, Boas got it right. [Keywords: Franz Boas, plasticity, anthropometry, heritability, immigrant study] IS - 2 JF - American Anthropologist EP - 332 TI - Boas's Changes in Bodily Form: The Immigrant Study, Cranial Plasticity, and Boas's Physical Anthropology VL - 105 SP - 326 KW - biocultural KW - gene-environment KW - growth KW - immigration KW - plasticity KW - race AU - Gravlee, Clarence AU - Bernard, Russell AU - Leonard, William PY - 2003/// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/aa.2003.105.2.326 ER -