(Re)connaître l’homme primitif : savoir anthropologique, préconceptions et situations locales à Sulawesi, 1892-1906

In the 1890s, Swiss naturalists Fritz and Paul Sarasin discovered the Toálas in Sulawesi, a people described as very primitive by settlers and indigenous communities alike. However, numerous detours and encounters were necessary for the Sarasin to recognize them as the remains of a primitive population. Thus, in looking at the stages that led them to identify the Toálas as primitive, one can understand how an object becomes scientifically meaningful. Drawing on this case study, I examine the distinct roles played in this identification process by working hypotheses, by the scholars’ experience... Mehr ...