Efram Sera–shriar
Biographic Data
| ID | 3768969 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Efram Sera–shriar |
| GIVEN NAMES | Efram |
| FAMILY NAME | Sera–shriar |
| SIGNATURE | SHRIAR E S |
| AFFILIATIONS | York University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3163-3487 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 39 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Nineteenth-century Japanese and British science in context: An introduction to transnational-comparative studies
This special issue focuses on the complex cultural connections between Japanese and British science in the nineteenth century. This was a period when intellectuals around the globe began to interact more intensively due to increased opportunities to travel and the growth in translations of important scientific works into many languages. This was also an era when, in the latter part of the century, Japanese intellectuals were searching for ways to…
Anthropological Glimpses of Japan in Nineteenth-Century Britain
This article explores two early anthropological works on Japan that were produced in Britain during the nineteenth century. The first is James Cowles Prichard's chapter on Japanese culture from the third edition of his Researches into the physical history of mankind (1844) . It represents the first formative study by a leading ethnologist to tackle the subject. The second is Edward Burnett Tylor's essay on Japanese belief for the Journal for the …
From museumization to decolonization: Fostering critical dialogues in the history of science with a Haida eagle mask
This paper explores the process from museumization to decolonization through an examination of a Haida eagle mask currently on display in the Exploring Medicine gallery at the Science Museum in London. While elements of this discussion are well developed in some disciplines, such as Indigenous studies, anthropology and museum and heritage studies, this paper approaches the topic through the history of science, where decolonization and global pers…
Time Travelers: Victorian Encounters with Time and History, ed. Adelene Buckland and Sadiah Qureshi
Seeing is (Dis)believing: John Tyndall, Scientific Naturalism, and the Role of Visual Epistemologies and Scientific Testimony in Victorian Spirit Investigations
The backbone of Victorian spirit investigations rested with the credibility of the witnesses who attended spiritualist events such as séances. But how did someone become a credible witness of spirit or psychic phenomena? What were the processes by which their testimonies became trustworthy representations of genuine experiences? This paper explores these questions by examining the visual epistemology of the scientific naturalist and sceptic John …
Spiritualism and Science Studies for the Twenty-First Century
The Scandalous Affair of the Anthropological Review
This chapter examines the scandalous affair surrounding the ownership and editorship of the Anthropological Review (AR) in the late 1860s, showing its significance as a major event in British anthropology’s disciplinary formation. In the summer of 1868 a huge dispute unfolded in the pages of the London-based weekly journal, the Athenaeum. Two groups of anthropologists argued over the connection between the Anthropological Society of London and th…
Peter Cryle and Elizabeth Stephens, Normality: A Critical Genealogy
In 1877, the Victorian polymath Francis Galton (1822–1911) presided over the anthropology subsection of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. As part of his presidential duties he was expected to present a paper on an anthropological topic. Seizing the opportunity to showcase his latest research to an audience of eager listeners, he prepared a lecture on anthropometrics and photography. At the core of his photographic process, G…
Credible Witnessing: A. R. Wallace, Spiritualism, and a “New Branch of Anthropology”
This paper situates Alfred Russel Wallace's spiritualist writings from his book Miracles and Modern Spiritualism (1875) against the backdrop of Victorian anthropology. It examines how he constructed his argument, and the ways in which he verified the trustworthiness of his evidence using theories and methods drawn from anthropology. Spirit investigations relied on personal testimony. Thus the key question was: who could be trusted as a credible w…
Tales from Patagonia: Phillip Parker King and early ethnographic observation in British ethnology, 1826–1830
Traditionally, the secondary literature on nineteenth-century British ethnology – the predecessor to anthropology – has placed far too much emphasis on the armchair cogitations of researchers in Britain and not enough weight on the voyagers who collected their data in the field. This article reconsiders the history of British anthropology by expanding the discipline's scope beyond the armchair and examining the role of voyagers in the production …
Arctic observers: Richard King, monogenism and the historicisation of Inuit through travel narratives
Human history and deep time in nineteenth-century British sciences: An introduction
The Making of British Anthropology, 1813–1871
Introduction 1 Founding the Sciences of Man: The Observational Practices of James Cowles Prichard and William Lawrence 2 Ethnology in Transit: Informants, Questionnaires and the Formation of the Ethnological Society of London 3 Ethnology at Home: Robert Gordon Latham, Robert Knox and Competing Observational Practices 4 The Battle for Mankind: James Hunt, Thomas Huxley and the Emergence of British Anthropology 5 Synthesizing the Discipline: Charle…
Anthropometric portraiture and Victorian anthropology: Situating Francis Galton's photographic work in the late 1870s
This paper examines the complex observational techniques of British anthropologists during the nineteenth century. In particular, using Galton's initial work with anthropometric and composite photography in the late 1870s as a case study, it argues that nineteenth-century anthropological armchair studies were extremely sophisticated and that researchers were highly attuned to the problems associated with their methodologies. These nineteenth-cent…
Colonial collecting and display. Encounters with material culture from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by Wintle, Claire: Reviews
What is armchair anthropology? Observational practices in 19 th -century British human sciences
The study of human diversity in the first half of the 19 th century has traditionally been categorized as a type of armchair-based natural history. If we are to take seriously this characterization of the discipline it requires further unpacking. Armchair anthropology was not a passive pursuit, with minimal analytical reflection that simply synthesized the materials of other writers. Nor was it detached from the activities of informants who were …
Observing Human Difference: James Hunt, Thomas Huxley and Competing Disciplinary Strategies in the 1860s
During the 1860s the sciences relating to human diversity were undergoing significant intellectual and methodological changes. The older generation of practitioners including James Cowles Prichard, Thomas Hodgkin and John Crawfurd were slowly passing away. Recognising that there was an opportunity to take a leading role in reforming the study of human variation, two competing intellectual camps vied for control of the nascent discipline; anthropo…
Ethnology in the metropole: Robert Knox, Robert Gordon Latham and local sites of observational training
The Making of British Anthropology, 1813–1871
Introduction 1 Founding the Sciences of Man: The Observational Practices of James Cowles Prichard and William Lawrence 2 Ethnology in Transit: Informants, Questionnaires and the Formation of the Ethnological Society of London 3 Ethnology at Home: Robert Gordon Latham, Robert Knox and Competing Observational Practices 4 The Battle for Mankind: James Hunt, Thomas Huxley and the Emergence of British Anthropology 5 Synthesizing the Discipline: Charle…
What is armchair anthropology? Observational practices in 19 th -century British human sciences
The study of human diversity in the first half of the 19 th century has traditionally been categorized as a type of armchair-based natural history. If we are to take seriously this characterization of the discipline it requires further unpacking. Armchair anthropology was not a passive pursuit, with minimal analytical reflection that simply synthesized the materials of other writers. Nor was it detached from the activities of informants who were …
Observing Human Difference: James Hunt, Thomas Huxley and Competing Disciplinary Strategies in the 1860s
During the 1860s the sciences relating to human diversity were undergoing significant intellectual and methodological changes. The older generation of practitioners including James Cowles Prichard, Thomas Hodgkin and John Crawfurd were slowly passing away. Recognising that there was an opportunity to take a leading role in reforming the study of human variation, two competing intellectual camps vied for control of the nascent discipline; anthropo…
Anthropometric portraiture and Victorian anthropology: Situating Francis Galton's photographic work in the late 1870s
This paper examines the complex observational techniques of British anthropologists during the nineteenth century. In particular, using Galton's initial work with anthropometric and composite photography in the late 1870s as a case study, it argues that nineteenth-century anthropological armchair studies were extremely sophisticated and that researchers were highly attuned to the problems associated with their methodologies. These nineteenth-cent…
From museumization to decolonization: Fostering critical dialogues in the history of science with a Haida eagle mask
This paper explores the process from museumization to decolonization through an examination of a Haida eagle mask currently on display in the Exploring Medicine gallery at the Science Museum in London. While elements of this discussion are well developed in some disciplines, such as Indigenous studies, anthropology and museum and heritage studies, this paper approaches the topic through the history of science, where decolonization and global pers…
Credible Witnessing: A. R. Wallace, Spiritualism, and a “New Branch of Anthropology”
This paper situates Alfred Russel Wallace's spiritualist writings from his book Miracles and Modern Spiritualism (1875) against the backdrop of Victorian anthropology. It examines how he constructed his argument, and the ways in which he verified the trustworthiness of his evidence using theories and methods drawn from anthropology. Spirit investigations relied on personal testimony. Thus the key question was: who could be trusted as a credible w…
Arctic observers: Richard King, monogenism and the historicisation of Inuit through travel narratives
Human history and deep time in nineteenth-century British sciences: An introduction
Ethnology in the metropole: Robert Knox, Robert Gordon Latham and local sites of observational training
Ethnology in the metropole: Robert Knox, Robert Gordon Latham and local sites of observational training
Observing Human Difference: James Hunt, Thomas Huxley and Competing Disciplinary Strategies in the 1860s
During the 1860s the sciences relating to human diversity were undergoing significant intellectual and methodological changes. The older generation of practitioners including James Cowles Prichard, Thomas Hodgkin and John Crawfurd were slowly passing away. Recognising that there was an opportunity to take a leading role in reforming the study of human variation, two competing intellectual camps vied for control of the nascent discipline; anthropo…
What is armchair anthropology? Observational practices in 19 th -century British human sciences
The study of human diversity in the first half of the 19 th century has traditionally been categorized as a type of armchair-based natural history. If we are to take seriously this characterization of the discipline it requires further unpacking. Armchair anthropology was not a passive pursuit, with minimal analytical reflection that simply synthesized the materials of other writers. Nor was it detached from the activities of informants who were …
Tales from Patagonia: Phillip Parker King and early ethnographic observation in British ethnology, 1826–1830
Traditionally, the secondary literature on nineteenth-century British ethnology – the predecessor to anthropology – has placed far too much emphasis on the armchair cogitations of researchers in Britain and not enough weight on the voyagers who collected their data in the field. This article reconsiders the history of British anthropology by expanding the discipline's scope beyond the armchair and examining the role of voyagers in the production …
Arctic observers: Richard King, monogenism and the historicisation of Inuit through travel narratives
Human history and deep time in nineteenth-century British sciences: An introduction
The Making of British Anthropology, 1813–1871
Introduction 1 Founding the Sciences of Man: The Observational Practices of James Cowles Prichard and William Lawrence 2 Ethnology in Transit: Informants, Questionnaires and the Formation of the Ethnological Society of London 3 Ethnology at Home: Robert Gordon Latham, Robert Knox and Competing Observational Practices 4 The Battle for Mankind: James Hunt, Thomas Huxley and the Emergence of British Anthropology 5 Synthesizing the Discipline: Charle…
Anthropometric portraiture and Victorian anthropology: Situating Francis Galton's photographic work in the late 1870s
This paper examines the complex observational techniques of British anthropologists during the nineteenth century. In particular, using Galton's initial work with anthropometric and composite photography in the late 1870s as a case study, it argues that nineteenth-century anthropological armchair studies were extremely sophisticated and that researchers were highly attuned to the problems associated with their methodologies. These nineteenth-cent…
Colonial collecting and display. Encounters with material culture from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by Wintle, Claire: Reviews
Credible Witnessing: A. R. Wallace, Spiritualism, and a “New Branch of Anthropology”
This paper situates Alfred Russel Wallace's spiritualist writings from his book Miracles and Modern Spiritualism (1875) against the backdrop of Victorian anthropology. It examines how he constructed his argument, and the ways in which he verified the trustworthiness of his evidence using theories and methods drawn from anthropology. Spirit investigations relied on personal testimony. Thus the key question was: who could be trusted as a credible w…
The Scandalous Affair of the Anthropological Review
This chapter examines the scandalous affair surrounding the ownership and editorship of the Anthropological Review (AR) in the late 1860s, showing its significance as a major event in British anthropology’s disciplinary formation. In the summer of 1868 a huge dispute unfolded in the pages of the London-based weekly journal, the Athenaeum. Two groups of anthropologists argued over the connection between the Anthropological Society of London and th…
Peter Cryle and Elizabeth Stephens, Normality: A Critical Genealogy
In 1877, the Victorian polymath Francis Galton (1822–1911) presided over the anthropology subsection of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. As part of his presidential duties he was expected to present a paper on an anthropological topic. Seizing the opportunity to showcase his latest research to an audience of eager listeners, he prepared a lecture on anthropometrics and photography. At the core of his photographic process, G…
Seeing is (Dis)believing: John Tyndall, Scientific Naturalism, and the Role of Visual Epistemologies and Scientific Testimony in Victorian Spirit Investigations
The backbone of Victorian spirit investigations rested with the credibility of the witnesses who attended spiritualist events such as séances. But how did someone become a credible witness of spirit or psychic phenomena? What were the processes by which their testimonies became trustworthy representations of genuine experiences? This paper explores these questions by examining the visual epistemology of the scientific naturalist and sceptic John …
Spiritualism and Science Studies for the Twenty-First Century
Time Travelers: Victorian Encounters with Time and History, ed. Adelene Buckland and Sadiah Qureshi
From museumization to decolonization: Fostering critical dialogues in the history of science with a Haida eagle mask
This paper explores the process from museumization to decolonization through an examination of a Haida eagle mask currently on display in the Exploring Medicine gallery at the Science Museum in London. While elements of this discussion are well developed in some disciplines, such as Indigenous studies, anthropology and museum and heritage studies, this paper approaches the topic through the history of science, where decolonization and global pers…
Nineteenth-century Japanese and British science in context: An introduction to transnational-comparative studies
This special issue focuses on the complex cultural connections between Japanese and British science in the nineteenth century. This was a period when intellectuals around the globe began to interact more intensively due to increased opportunities to travel and the growth in translations of important scientific works into many languages. This was also an era when, in the latter part of the century, Japanese intellectuals were searching for ways to…
Anthropological Glimpses of Japan in Nineteenth-Century Britain
This article explores two early anthropological works on Japan that were produced in Britain during the nineteenth century. The first is James Cowles Prichard's chapter on Japanese culture from the third edition of his Researches into the physical history of mankind (1844) . It represents the first formative study by a leading ethnologist to tackle the subject. The second is Edward Burnett Tylor's essay on Japanese belief for the Journal for the …
History (16 works) · Sociology (12 works) · History (11 works) · Philosophy (11 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Anthropology (8 works) · Epistemology (8 works) · History of Science and Natural History (8 works) · Art (7 works) · Archaeology (6 works)