CONGRES INTERNATIONAL DES SCIENCES ANTHROPOLOGIQUES ET ETHNOGIQUES. 1912-34; 1937-9 (A62 – 01 of 06)

Home Archives & Manuscripts Archive Contents Congres International des Sciences Anthropologiques et Ethnogiques A62 CONGRES INTERNATIONAL DES SCIENCES ANTHROPOLOGIQUES ET ETHNOGIQUES. 1912-34; 1937-9 (A62 – 01 of 06)

Correspondence, papers, and minutes relating to the establishment of the International Congress, 1912-34; and to the first Congress in 1934, and its relationship to the IIA, 1937-9.

In 1912, at the invitation of the RAI, proposals were considered to establish a new congress with a wider coverage than the old Congrès international d’Anthropologie et d’Archéologie préhistoriques; though it continued under the auspices of the IIA until 1939, its last meeting as an independent congress took place in 1912 in Geneva. The first meeting of the new congress was arranged for Leiden in 1916 but was cancelled due to the 191418 War. The Institut internationale d’Anthropologie, Paris was formed in 1919 and the RAI allowed the plans for the resumption of the 1916 congress to lapse. In Oct. 1928 the IIA, with the consent of the surviving members of the Permanent Committee of the old Congrès, agreed to ‘assure the continuity’ of the old Congrès by convening the 15th Congrès concurrently with its own 4th session in Portugal in Sep. 1930. However, at this meeting in Sep. 1930, due to measures taken by the IIA, members of the Congrès were deprived of a vote unless they were also members of the IIA. The 15th Congrès was adjourned as a result. A ‘petit comité’ was then set up at Oporto on 27 Sep. comprising the survivors of the Permanent Committee, the Presidents of the IIA and RAI and any co-opted members to consider the relations between the IIA and the Congrès. It met in Paris on 22 Dec. 1930. Sir John Myres, President, RAI maintained the separation of the management of the two organisations was essential. The majority agreed that the Oct. 1928 agreement had been a mistake. In 1931, the RAI contacted foreign colleagues by correspondence to obtain support for an informal conference with the intention of establishing a new international congress which would meet every four years. The preliminary conference took place in Apr. 1933 in Basle. The first meeting of the new congress, hosted by the RAI, was held from 30 July-4 Aug. 1934 in London and Oxford. See A65 for the International Congress of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences.


Abbreviations
HGB        Harry G. Beasley, Cranmore Ethnographical Museum, Chislehurst, Kent; Hon. Treasurer of the Congress

ENF        E.N. Fallaize, Hon. Secretary, RAI 1920-31

HJF        H.J. Fleure, FRS (1877-1969) Prof. of Geography, Univ. of Manchester; President, RAI 1945-7

IIA        Institut international d’Anthropologie, Paris

TAJ        T.A. Joyce, OBE (1878-1942) Keeper of Ceramics and Ethnography, British Museum; Hon. Secretary 1903-13, Vice-President 1913-17, President, RAI 1931-3

RRM        R.R. Marett, FBA (1866-1943) Reader in Social Anthropology, Univ. of Oxford, Rector of Exeter College, Oxford; Hon. Secretary, Committee for the Organisation of an International Congress of the Anthropological Sciences, 1912

JLM        Sir John Myres, OBE (1869-1954) Wykeham Prof. Of Ancient History, Univ. of Oxford; Hon. Secretary, 1900-3; President, RAI 1928-31; founder and Editor of Man

GP            Dr G. Papillault, Secrètaire General, Institut international d’Anthropologie, Paris

HJEP        Harold J.E. Peake, FSA (1867-1946) President, RAI 1926-8

CGS        C.G. Seligman, FRS, FRCP (1873-1940) Prof. of Ethnology, Univ. of London; President, RAI 1923-5

MLT        Miss Miriam L. Tildesley (1883-1976) Royal College of Surgeons, London; Council, RAI 1933-59

Summary
  1    Note by JLM; portrait of (Sir) J.L. Myres

  2    List of Congress venues, 1866-1912

  3    1912-14. Preliminary meetings and proposals

4-5    1919-21. Establishment of the IIA; and statutes

  6    1924. Letters from the IIA

  7    1925. Steps to avoid rival congresses and the relationship with the International Congress of Americanists

  8    1927-8. Attempts to amalgamate the Congrès international and the IIA

  9    1928. Steps to include an anthropological section in the International Research Council

 10    1929-31. Continuing contacts with the IIA

 11-12    1929-30. Foreign Office and the Economic Advisory Council; on the meeting of the Congrès international and the IIA in Portugal

 13    1930. Joint Committee for Anthropological Research and Teaching. On the international standing of the IIA

 14    1930. JLM’s Presidential Address, 28 Jan.

 15    1930. HJEP’s circular to British members of the IIA on the forthcoming meeting in Portugal

 16    1928-30. International Congress of Americanists. Discussions on co-ordination with a general congress and co-operation with the International Research Council

 17-19    1931. Proposals to host revitalised XVI Congrès international

20-168    1912-33. Correspondence with individual scholars

169    1933. Provisional Committee

170    1933. Fund raising for 1934 Congrès

171    1933. Conveyance of thanks for the success of the preliminary meeting at Basle, 20-2 May

172    Executive Committee minutes [shelved with quartos]

173    1934. Congress circularization lists: individuals and institutions

174    Tidsskrifter: list of journals, A-Z

175    1934. Congress circularization lists: delegates and others

176    Preliminary meetings and general organisation

177    Section programmes

178    Authors of papers

179    Members’ tickets

180    Accommodation

181    Guide to Congress

182    Appointment of official delegates

183    Greetings and letters of thanks

184    Daily programme

185    Inaugural meeting

186    Conference of delegates to examine proposals submitted to Congress

187    Meeting of National Secretaries

188    Bureau du Congrès

189    Evening lectures

190    Closing session

191    Exhibitions

192    Dinner at New College, Oxford

193    Proposals

194    Films, scientific specimens and apparatus and customs regulations

195    Rejected papers

196    Correspondence with delegates and others; see also /20-168 above

197    German complaint

198    Photograph of delegates

199    Compte-rendu – proofs

200    Copyright of the Compte-rendu

201    Supplementary material

202    1937-8. IIA and the new Congrès

 1/1    Note by JLM: This file contains the whole correspondence between myself and British and foreign colleagues, from the first proposal … made at the Americanist Congress in London in 1912, to the meeting at Berne [i.e. Basle], at which the new International Congress of Prehistoric and Protohistoric [i.e. Anthropological and Ethnological] Sciences was founded …. These papers should be preserved. [signed] John L. Myres 5.8.43.

  2    Portrait of (Sir) J.L. Myres

 2/    List of Congress venues [Congrès international d’Anthropologie et d’Archéologie préhistoriques] 1866-1912 by JLM

 3/    1912-14. Preliminary meetings and proposals:

Replies (mimeo. copies) to the RAI invitation to attend a Conference to organize an International Congress of Anthropology on 4 June 1912. From:

1912
  1    15 Apr. Prof. Kollmann, Basle

  2    23 May. Aurel de Torok, Director, Anthropological Institute, Budapest

  3    28 Mar. E. von Weule, Director, Museum für Völkerkunde, Leipzig

  4    31 May. Agenda of meeting on 4 June with covering letter (mimeo.)

  5    3 June. JLM to R. R. Marett

  6    4 June. Minutes of the 1st meeting of the Committee for the Organization of an International Congress held at the RAI (mimeo.)

  7    4 June. Report of an International Conference (offprint)

  8    14 Sep. Proposal passed at the 14me Congrès international d’Anthropologie et d’Archéologie préhistoriques (tpc.) – friendly response

  9    Additional names for the General Committee (mimeo.)

 10    Suggested scheme of work for the Congrès by RRM (mimeo., 2 copies)

 11    Ibid. by RRM (autogr.)

 12    List of names for the Advisory Committee by RRM and JLM’s item marker (both autogr.)

 13    List of names (hand not identified)

 14    Comments on RRM’s proposals. 7 leaves (hand not identified)

1913
 15    25 Mar. Questionnaire from RRM, Organizing Secretary, on place and time of meeting, name of congress, and enlargement of Organizing Committee. 4 leaves (mimeo.)

Replies to questionnaire of 25 Mar.

 16    M. Cartailhac (mimeo.)

 17    Tabulation of votes for place of meeting by R. R. Marett

 18    15 July. Circular letter from RRM or, result of replies to questionnaire

1914
 19    29 May. Circular letter from RRM on the offer of the Dutch to host the Congrès in Leiden in Aug. or Sept. 1916

 4/    1919. Establishment of the Institut international d’Anthropologie in Paris, 4 leaves (tpc., annotated by JLM)

 5/    1921. IIA. Statuts, 1921. 4 pp.

 6/    1924. Letters from the IIA

  1    27 Feb. GP to CGS, President, RAI

  2    18 Dec. Ibid. (tp., autogr. note)

 7/    1925. Steps to avoid rival congresses and the relationship with the International Congrès of Americanists

  1    2 Jan. CGS to GP (tpc.)

  2    8 Jan. GP to C.G. Seligman

  3    26 Jan. ENF to GP (tpc.)

  4    28 Jan. Ibid.

  5    2 Mar. GP to CGS (tp.)

  6    12 Mar. Ales Hrdlička, Curator, Division of Physical Anthropology, US National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington to TAJ (see abbreviations for details) (tp., autogr. note)

  7    17 Mar. H.N. Hall, Univ. Museum, Philadelphia to Prof. George Grant MacCurdy, Yale Univ. (see 110/ for details)

  8    17 Mar. Prof. Roland B. Dixon, Division of Anthropology, Harvard Univ. to TAJ (tp.)

  9    18 Mar. George Grant MacCurdy to TAJ (tp.)

 10    ?25 Apr. Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942), London School of Economics later Prof. of Anthropology, London Univ. (addressed from Oberbozen) to CGS (leaf 2 with autogr. notes by CGS and JLM)

 11    30 Apr. CGS to GP (tpc.)

 12    14 May. GP to C.G. Seligman

 13    3 June. CGS to CP (tp.)

 14    8 June. CGS tp ENF (tp.)

 15    8 June. GP to C.G. Seligman

 16    27 Oct. ENF to GP (tpc.)

 8/    1927-28. Attempts to amalgamate the Congrès international and the IIA

1927
  1    25 Mar. ENF to GP (tpc.)

  2    14 Apr. GP to ENF

  3    Early stages of the IIA by JLM. 5 pp.

  4    15 July. (Sir) Stephen Gaselee, KCMG (1882-1943), Foreign Office to HJEP (tp., autogr. note on verso)

  5    21 July. Privy Council Office to HJEP (tp.)

  6    26 July. (Sir) Stephen Gaselee to HJEP (tp.)

  7    3 Sep. Ibid.

  8    18 Oct. Ibid.

  9    27 Oct. Ibid.

 10    Report to Council by HJEP on attending the Congrès of     the IIA in Amsterdam on 24 Sept. 9 leaves (corrected tp., autogr. note by JLM)

 11    HJEP’s draft letter to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

 12    Proposals for the unification of international congresses by HJF (autogr. note by JLM)

 13    Report of a private conference held at Amsterdam, 1927 by HJF (autogr. note by JLM)

 14    3e Session de 1’Assemblée générale de 1’IIA, Amsterdam, 24 Sep., resolutions adopted (offprint)

 15    Copy of one of the resolutions by ?Prof. J.P. Kleiweg de Zwaan (JPKZ), Amsterdam Univ.

 16    Resolutions passed by Section 3 of the Congrès (tpc.)

 17    [Nov.] JPKZ and H.J.F.W. Brugmans to HJEP (translation) enclosing with /14:

 18    Draft memorial (by JPKZ) to be presented to … the IIA

 19    28 Nov. HJEP to JPKZ (tpc.)

 20    Draft letter by HJF to members of the IIA enclosing:

 21    French translation and

 22    Italian translation

 23    Draft memorial (hand not identified) (tp., tpc., 2 copies)

 24    French translation of /23

 25    Extracts by JLM on the IIA from the Révue anthropologique, 1929. 5 leaves

 26    21 Dec. HJF to (Sir) J.L. Myres

 27    28 Dec. Ibid.

1928
 28    16 Feb. ENF to JLM (tp., autogr. note)

 29    18 Feb. JLM to ENF

 30    20 Mar. GP to HJEP enclosing:

 31    Circular of 1 Mar. (mimeo., autogr. note by JLM)

 32    30 Nov. GP to ENF (autogr. note by JLM)

 33    6 Dec. ENF in reply to GP’s letter of 30 Nov. (copies by JLM)

 9/    1928. Steps to include an anthropological section in the International Research Council (IRC)

  1    20 Apr. HJEP to JLM (tp.)

  2    22 Apr. JPKZ to HJEP

  3    28 Apr. Prof. Richard Thurnwald, Universität Berlin, Editor, Zeitschrift für Völkerpsychologie und Soziologie and Sociologus to HJEP (tp.)

  4    1 May. HJEP to JLM (tp., autogr. note by HJEP)

  5    May. British Joint Committee for Anthropological Teaching and Research. Adoption of proposal to request the IRC to organize and promote international congresses (tpc.)

  6    31 May. ENF to JLM (tp.)

  7    23 June. Sir Arthur Schuster (AS), FRS (1851-1934) Prof. of Physics, Manchester Univ.; Secretary, Royal Society 1912-19; Secretary, IRS 1919-28 to ENF on meeting with JLM (tp.)

  8    . 4 July. Report of meeting with AS by (Sir) J.L. Myres

  9    5 July. AS’s Secretary to HJEP (tp.) enclosing:

 10    Statuts de 1’Union géodésique et géophysique international, 24 Juillet 1919. 8 pp.

 11    Statuts de Conseil international de Rechèrches, [June 1926]

 12    Ibid., Statuts, texte française et anglais, June 1926. 12 pp. (2 copies)

 13    5 July. ENF to JLM (tp.) enclosing:

 14    5 July. Draft RAI resolution for submission to the IRC viewing favourably the establishment of an International Research Union for the promotion of anthropology and an international congress (tpc., autogr. note by JLM)

 15    Another copy (tpc.)

 16    5 July. RAI memorandum presented to the IRC setting out the history of anthropological congresses and supporting the resolution (tpc., initialled by JLM and ENF)

 17    Another copy (tpc.)

 18    Third copy (tpc.)

 19    5 July. AS to JLM (tp.)

 20    5 July. AS to ENF (tp.)

 21    5 July. ENF to J.P. Kleiweg de Zwaan (JPKZ) (tpc.)

 22    6 July. JLM to AS

 23    7 July. AS to JLM

 24    9 July. JPKZ to ENF enclosing:

 25    8 July. Copy of letter to AS

 26    11 July. [ENF] to Ales Hrdlička (see 7/6 for details)

 27    11-13 July. [ENF] to Charles Fraipont

similar letters to:

 28    Prof. H. Obermaier, Madrid (tpc., with additional para)

 29    Prof. Eugène Pittard, Musée éthnographique, Geneva

 30    Prof. Richard Thurnwald (see 9/3 for details)

 31    Prof. Réné Verneau, Institut de Paléontologie humaine, Paris

 32    13 July. [ENF] to A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, FBA (1881-1955) Prof. of Social Anthropology, Oxford Univ.; President, RAI, 1939-40, (tpc.)

 33    20 July. HJEP tp JLM (tp.)

 34    21 July. Ales Hrdlička to ENF (tp.)

 35    23 July. AS to JLM

 36    4 Aug. JLM to AS

 37    24 July. Réné Verneau in reply to /31

 38    2 Aug. ENF to JLM enclosing /34

 39    4 Aug. Richard Thurnwald partly in reply to /30

 40    5 Aug. JLM to ENF in reply to /38

 41    5 Aug. JLM to ENF

 42    8 Aug. ENF to Richard Thurnwald in reply to /39

 43    13 Aug. [ENF] to AS

 44    15 Sep. International Research Council (offprint)

1930
 45    16 Feb. H.G. Lyons to JLM

 46    18 Apr. Ibid.

10/    1929-31. Continuing contacts with the IIA (see also 151/54)

1929
  1    6 June. GP to JLM (tp., autogr. note)

  2    28 June. [ENF] to GP (tpc.)

  3    8 Nov. Louis Marin, IIA (mimeo.) – agenda for meeting on 29 Nov.

  4    19 Nov. Notes on an interview by JLM between himself and M.L. Tildesley

  5    6 Dec. JLM to GP

  6    10 Dec. HJEP to (Sir) J.L. Myres

  7    10 Dec. GP to Miles C. Burkitt (MCB) (1890-1971), Lecturer, Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge Univ. (tpc.) enclosed in /8

  8    14 Dec. GP to JLM (autogr., annotated by JLM)

1930
  9    25 Jan. Royal Society to JLM (tp.)

 10    Fri. [Mar.] MCB to (Sir) J.L. Myres

 11    16 Mar. JLM to M. C. Burkitt

 12    ‘An Anthropological Congress’ by JLM, draft of a letter to Nature

 13    — proof

 14    29 Mar. — letter, Nature, Vol.125, No. 3152, 29 Mar. 1930, p.494

 15    15 Apr. ENF to JLM (autogr. note by JLM)
A62/10/15    

 16    16 Apr. JLM to ENF

 17    16 Apr. JLM to GP

 18    16 Apr. JLM to Editor, Nature (draft)

 19    17 Apr. Editor, Nature to JLM (tp.)

 20    24 Apr. JLM to Editor, Nature

 21    27 [Apr.] [British Embassy, Lisbon] to JLM (telegram)

 22    JLM’s list of congress venues

 23    5 May. GP to JLM

 24    14 May. HJEP (pc.) to (Sir) J.L. Myres

 25    8 July. XVe Congrès international d’Anthropologie et d’Archéologie préhistorique, IVe Session de 1’Institut international d’Anthropologie, Coimbra-Porto, 1930, programme (pr.)

 26    21 Aug. JLM to GP

 27    2 Sep. GP to JLM

 28    2 Sep. 2 copies of /27 (mimeo.) prepared by RAI

 29    16 Sep. JLM to GP (in French, mimeo.) 2 copies

 30    Resolutions adopted by the Joint Committee for Anthropological Research and Teaching, 14 Jan. 1930 (French translation; mimeo.)

 31    Resolutions by the President, RAI on relations between the Congrès international and the IIA (in French, mimeo.)

 32    12 Nov. GP to JLM enclosing:

 33    Decisions taken on RAI requests at the Assemblée générale de Congrès international and the IIA on 27 Sept. at Porto (in French)

 34    24 Nov. GP to JLM

 35    27 Nov. JLM to GP (in French)

 36    1 Dec. Ibid.

 37    5 Dec. GP to JLM (signature only in writer’s hand)

 38    8 Dec. JLM to GP (in French)

 39    9 Dec. Secretary, IIA to JLM (pc., autogr. note by JLM)

 40    22 Dec. Procès-verbal de la Séance of the small permanent committee set up by the Congrès international at Porto (see /33) between the Congrès and the IIA, copy by JLM

 41    24 Dec. Secretary, IIA to JLM (pc.)

1931
 42    12 Jan. JLM to GP (in French)

 43    20 Jan. GP to JLM (autogr. note by JLM)

 44    28 Jan. JLM to GP enclosing copy of /40; copies also sent to Marcellin Boule, Réné Verneau and others (in French)

11/    1929-30. Foreign Office. On the meeting of the Congrès international and the IIA in Portugal

1929
  1    21 Dec.-14 July 1930. JLM’s notes on meetings with (Sir) Stephen Gaselee (SG), KCMG (1882-1943)

  2    27 Dec. John W. Field (JWF), FO to JLM (tp.)

1930
  3    27 Jan. JWF, FO to JLM (tp.)

  4    c.13 Apr. Note by JLM on despatch of his Presidential Address to FO

  5    16 Apr. JLM to JWF

  6    9 May. SG to JLM (tp.)

  7    18 June. SG to JLM (tp.)

  8    8 July. SG to JLM (tp.)

  9    17 July. JLM to SG

 10    24 July. SG to JLM (tp. annotated by JLM)

 11    31 July. SG to JLM (tp.)

 12    8 Aug. JLM to SG

 13    16 Aug. SG to JLM (tp.)

 14    21 Aug. SG to JLM (tp.)

12/    1930. Economic Advisory Council (EAC). On the meeting of the Congrès international and the IIA in Portugal

  1    23 July. JLM to EAC (autogr. carbon annotated by JLM)

  2    25 July. A.F. Hemming (AFH), EAC to JLM (tp.)

  3    23 Aug. AFH to JLM (tp.)

  4    29 Aug. JLM to AFH

13/    1930. Joint Committee for Anthropological Research and Teaching. On the international standing of the IIA

  1    Draft circular for submission by RAI to Joint Committee (JLM’s autogr. and tpc.)

  2    Notification of joint meeting on 14 Jan. (tpc.)

  3    13 Jan. HJF to JLM

  4    13 Jan. Sidney H. Ray (SHR) (1858-1939) schoolmaster; student of Oceanic languages; Vice President, RAI (1919) to Hon. Secretary, Joint Committee

  5    13 Jan. SHR to ENF

  6    13 Jan. C.M. West, Dept. of Anatomy, University College, Cardiff to ENF

  7    13 Jan. Sir Grafton Elliot Smith (1871-1937), Prof. of Anatomy, University College, London; President, RAI to ENF (tp.)

  8    13 Jan. Prof. Thomas H. Bryce, Dept. of Anatomy, Glasgow Univ. to ENF

  9    13 Jan. TAJ to ENF (tp.)

 10    16 Jan. TAJ to JLM. Resolutions of meeting (tpc.)

 11    [14 Jan.] Pencilled slip initialled ?JDH on leaving meeting early

 12    Resolutions of meeting (tp.)

14/    1930. JLM’s Presidential Address, 28 Jan.

  1    Proofs with autogr. comments by MLT and autogr. note by JLM (leaf 8 missing)

  2    8 Feb. Nature, press notice

  3    1 Mar. Nature, Vol. 125, No. 3148, leader ‘International Congresses’ by [JLM], corrected galley proofs

  4    Offprint of /3