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Traveller Sir Richard Francis Burton and Anthropology

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2019

Abstract

The article deals with the personality of the British scholar and explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890). Burton is one of the prominent personalities of the Victorian era.

In his time, he considered the culture of the Orient as a couple of travellers and orientalists. Despite the facts that he is one of the founders of the Anthropological Society of London (1863), his name can hardly be found in literature dealing with the history of the anthropology field.

The study analyses mainly Burton's work (travels, ethnography and translations) and furthermore, it provides information about his own theory called the Sotadic zone and defends his thought against Said's orientalism. Based on these aspects/facts, we argue that Burton should be reflected not only in the field of travelling, but in the history of anthropology as well.