2. Social change caused by World War I (1914-1918)
The prolonged military stalemate
that went on in Europe for four years resulted in profound social changes
in human societies around the world. Europeans emerged from the war
with doubts about the superiority of Western civilization. The war also
raised questions that played an important role in the developments that
led to the end of European colonialism. This was reflected in the ways
anthropologists constructed theories about culture as well as anthropological
views of social organization, all of which underwent striking changes
in the years after World War I.
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Alan
E. Mann is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.
His Top 10 list reviews the 1900's in a general historical light
and shows how the major events affected the work and chief concerns
of anthropologists. He generally calls attention to broad movements
rather than single momentous events. He points to the rapid population
growth during the 1900's and reveals why some anthropologists
link this trend to the end of human evolution.
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