Anthropology and Radical Humanism

This tour de force of detective work and interpretation discloses the rich intellectual and peculiarly alienating moral history of Paul Radin, a footloose, controversial, and mercurial maverick, and, from his little-known research at Fisk, the personal narratives of former slaves. It speaks profoundly from their times of racism and the rise of fascism to our own troubled times. As one of Paul’s last students, I felt deeply moved by Jack Glazier’s remarkable elucidation of my teacher’s radical humanism, his discerning approach to our shared human capacity for reflection and consciousness: it is as subversive as ever of much objectifying of our subjects in the social sciences. ~Richard Werbner, Professor Emeritus in African Anthropology, and Honorary Professor in Visual Anthropology, University of Manchester

Jack Glazier’s book is the first extensive account of Paul Radin’s scholarship and his radical humanistic understanding of human experience. It is a signal contribution to the understanding and appreciation of a major figure in the history of American anthropology. - Herbert S. Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison ~Herbert S. Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Charming, erudite, erratically employed, Paul Radin advocated an end to racism as staunchly as his teacher Franz Boas. His genuine respect for Indians and African Americans supported his famous detailed Winnebago ethnography and also, less known, an extraordinarily moving collection of autobiographical narratives by men and women born into slavery. Here, Jack Glazier gives us the man and his work with these two peoples, showing how both projects focused on religious experiences central to so many human lives. ~Alice B. Kehoe, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Marquette University

Jack Glazier’s book is a most welcome addition to the history of Boasian anthropology. By focusing on the relationship between Paul Radin’s well-known Winnebago studies and his little-known work on autobiographical narratives of slavery in the US South, Glazier recovers Radin as an important contributor to anti-racist anthropology. ~Richard Handler, Professor of Anthropology, University of Virginia