Contextualizing or Cancelling Aleš Hrdlička: Lessons from the Past

Summary

This is an abstract from the "2025 Fryxell Award Symposium: Papers in Honor of David J. Meltzer Part II" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In his carefully researched tome, The Great Paleolithic War (2015), David Meltzer demonstrates a remarkable depth of scholarship, carefully reading and evaluating 66 reference pages of primary sources. Included were 15 scholarly works by Aleš Hrdlička. Meltzer has thus critically engaged with the research products of a controversial figure in the history of American biological anthropology. Hrdlička and his research have been heavily critiqued for scientific racism, sexism, adherence to a eugenics doctrine, and many other viewpoints that are demonstrably unscientific today. For this reason, some would dismiss him and his entire body of work, thus cancelling a career that founded American biological anthropology and its flagship journal. This presentation will argue that rather than cancelling Aleš Hrdlička, we should – as Meltzer has—critically engage with the person and his career. We consider how this dominant professional succeeded and where he erred. We are encouraged to consider carefully how our work is impactful, not just academically but also socially. We are also reminded how important it is to be willing to listen and revise our perspectives in the face of weighty counterarguments. Thus illustrated are scientific values of objectivity, critical review, and social responsibility, as exemplified in Meltzer’s scholarship.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2025 Fryxell Award Symposium: Papers in Honor of David J. Meltzer Part II   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51554