| The history of anthropology is an important field of anthropological research.At present,research on the history of anthropology has achieved a considerable amount in China,but there is still plenty of room for expansion.Up to now,research on the history of anthropology in China has not only focused on itself,but has also included a significant number of works introducing and exploring the early stages of anthropology in developed countries in Europe and America.These studies are mainly concentrated on issues of the history of anthropology in countries such as Britain,the United States,France,Germany,and the Soviet Union.In addition,research on the history of anthropology in other European countries and in developing countries still has some way to go,including Spain,a former colonial power.Although Spain established overseas colonies and contacted with the non-European civilizations much earlier,it had already declined by the 19 th century,when the academic and discipline of anthropology was formally initiated and developed,which caused its anthropology to lag behind the mentioned countries.However,as a member of the colonial power of the European world,as an important object and reference for mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations,the emergence and development of its anthropology is also worth our attention.Such sorting and research will provide a more diversified mirror for the development of Chinese anthropology.In view of this,the topic of research on the history of Spanish anthropology has been chosen.Firstly,based on the breadth of the scientific connotation of anthropology and the length of its history,this paper attempts to give a comprehensive introduction of the history of Spanish anthropology.Secondly,it discusses the historical characteristics of how the discipline developed along with the development of the Spanish state.The boundaries set in the text are not geographical,but social and political.In other words,what is called Spanish anthropology does not only mean "anthropology in Spain" or "anthropology of the Spaniards",but also includes the important work carried out by Spanish anthropologists in the world outside Spain and by foreign anthropologists within Spanish territory.In view of the foregoing,this paper sets up four parts,which are divided according to the development of Spanish anthropology:The first stage is the precursor of Spanish anthropology,which lasts the longest.It takes the Age of Discovery from the end of the 15 th century and the subsequent colonial period as the background,takes the overseas exploration and colonial expansion of the empire as the content,and emphasizes some important explorers,missionaries and their ethnographic materials about America and Asia.These early activities and materials are regarded as the pioneers and foundation of the dichotomy between subject and object of Spanish anthropology.The second stage is the emergence of Spanish anthropology,that is,the stage of germination and growth,which mainly occurred in the 19 th century(the late Enlightenment period).At that time,liberalism swept Europe and profoundly affected various areas of life such as politics,society,culture,economy.The real birth of Spanish anthropology as a modern science was in it,especially in krausopositivism and evolution.By analyzing the changes in the definition of the concept of anthropology in early works and the establishment of professional institutions,it can be concluded that Spanish anthropology has experienced the process from political philosophy to medicine and then to natural history.When formally established,it had the attribute of "natural history" in a broad sense.The sociocultural part of anthropology was still developing in isolation in folklore.The third stage is a crucial period in the development of Spanish anthropology,lasting from the end of the 19 th century to the second half of the 20 th century.It began with the professionalization of anthropology in museums and ended with the institutionalization of anthropology in universities.Due to the Spanish Civil War,it was divided into two discontinuous periods.Before the war,the discipline was greatly influenced by two kinds of paradigms: French physical anthropology and German-Austrian archeology anthropology,as well as diffusionism.After the war,Spanish anthropology was reorganized and consolidated within the ideological of the Franco regime.With the democratic transition at the end of Francoist Spain,the discipline of anthropology also ushered in a major reform.Under the promotion of Esteva and Lisón,the paradigm of cultural anthropology formed in Barcelona and the paradigm of social anthropology formed in Madrid spread among the whole country,establishing the modern Spanish social and cultural anthropology.The last stage is the contemporary period of social and cultural anthropology,which is still in the ascendant since the 1970 s and 1980 s,presenting the current situation of the coexistence of detheorization,decolonization,globalization,and localization.In the conclusion part,this paper summarizes the development status and characteristics of Spanish anthropology from several aspects,such as the history of academic thought,the change of research topics,and the development of disciplinary institutions,and then makes a brief comparison with the history of anthropology of several major countries,in order to care for its historical changes,development characteristics,experience and lessons from an overall perspective.This paper argues that rupture and separation have long been a prominent features of the history of Spanish anthropology.Moreover,a kind of non-independence influenced by external ideologies once stood out.Studying carefully its cause,is rooted not only in political factors and historical traditions,but also in a consistent cultural background,which across eras and regions.In fact,behind the history of Spanish anthropology lies the history of the country’s development and changes.there are not only political factors and historical traditions,but also its cross-era and consistent cultural background.In fact,behind the history of Spanish anthropology lies the history of this country’s development and changes. |
