Robert Ranulph Marett
Encyclopedia
Robert Ranulph Marett (1866–1943) was a British
ethnologist from Jersey
.
Exponent of the British evolution
ary school, he dealt with religious ethnology
. In this field he modified the evolutionary scale of religion
fixed by E. B. Tylor
, which placed animism in the first place. Marett articulated the conception of (magical pre-animism) an impersonal force, identified with the Melanesia
n term of mana
. The idea of the mana, mostly psychical than cultural product, was presented mainly in his work The Threshold of Religion (1909) with which he tried to establish the context of presupposed ideas of the religion, to Anthropology (1912) and Psychology and Folklore (1920). R. R. Marett succeeded Tylor as Reader
in Anthropology at Oxford
in 1910, and in 1914 established a Department of Social Anthropology
.
Convinced that primitive man had not developed the intellectual ability to form even such simplistic explanations as Tylor proposed, Marett also criticized Tylor’s theories of animism, suggesting that early religion was more emotion
al and intuitional
in origin. He believed that early man
recognized some inanimate objects because of their specific characteristics; treated all animate objects as having a life
, but never distinguished soul
as separate from the body. Considering that early man's universal belief in mana is so self-evident, Marett found insignificant the question of how men and women developed the belief that a spirit or soul
resides in all objects.
He worked on the palaeolithic site of La Cotte de St Brelade
from 1910–1914, recovering some hominid teeth and other remains of habitation by Neanderthal man. He published "The Site, Fauna, and Industry of La Cotte de St. Brelade, Jersey" (Archaeologia LXVII, 1916).
He became Rector of Exeter College, Oxford
.
His students included Marius Barbeau
and Earnest Albert Hooten.
He was the only son of Sir Robert Pipon Marett
, poet and Bailiff of Jersey, and Julia Anne Marett.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ethnologist from Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
.
Exponent of the British evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary school, he dealt with religious ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
. In this field he modified the evolutionary scale of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
fixed by E. B. Tylor
Edward Burnett Tylor
Sir Edward Burnett Tylor , was an English anthropologist.Tylor is representative of cultural evolutionism. In his works Primitive Culture and Anthropology, he defined the context of the scientific study of anthropology, based on the evolutionary theories of Charles Lyell...
, which placed animism in the first place. Marett articulated the conception of (magical pre-animism) an impersonal force, identified with the Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
n term of mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
. The idea of the mana, mostly psychical than cultural product, was presented mainly in his work The Threshold of Religion (1909) with which he tried to establish the context of presupposed ideas of the religion, to Anthropology (1912) and Psychology and Folklore (1920). R. R. Marett succeeded Tylor as Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in Anthropology at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1910, and in 1914 established a Department of Social Anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
.
Convinced that primitive man had not developed the intellectual ability to form even such simplistic explanations as Tylor proposed, Marett also criticized Tylor’s theories of animism, suggesting that early religion was more emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
al and intuitional
Intuition (knowledge)
Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason. "The word 'intuition' comes from the Latin word 'intueri', which is often roughly translated as meaning 'to look inside'’ or 'to contemplate'." Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot necessarily justify...
in origin. He believed that early man
Man
The term man is used for an adult human male . However, man is sometimes used to refer to humanity as a whole...
recognized some inanimate objects because of their specific characteristics; treated all animate objects as having a life
Life
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
, but never distinguished soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
as separate from the body. Considering that early man's universal belief in mana is so self-evident, Marett found insignificant the question of how men and women developed the belief that a spirit or soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
resides in all objects.
He worked on the palaeolithic site of La Cotte de St Brelade
La Cotte de St Brelade
La Cotte de St Brelade is a Paleolithic site of early habitation in St Brelade, Jersey. Cotte means "cave" in Jèrriais; the cave is also known as Lé Creux ès Fées....
from 1910–1914, recovering some hominid teeth and other remains of habitation by Neanderthal man. He published "The Site, Fauna, and Industry of La Cotte de St. Brelade, Jersey" (Archaeologia LXVII, 1916).
He became Rector of Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
.
His students included Marius Barbeau
Marius Barbeau
Charles Marius Barbeau, , also known as C. Marius Barbeau, or more commonly simply Marius Barbeau, was a Canadian ethnographer and folklorist who is today considered a founder of Canadian anthropology...
and Earnest Albert Hooten.
He was the only son of Sir Robert Pipon Marett
Robert Pipon Marett
Sir Robert Pipon Marett was a lawyer, journalist, poet, politician, and Bailiff of Jersey from 1880 until his death.He was born in St. Peter on 20 November 1820 and studied at the University of Caen and the Sorbonne...
, poet and Bailiff of Jersey, and Julia Anne Marett.
Works and lectures
- The Threshold of Religion, (1909)
- Anthropology, (1912)
- Psychology and Folklore, (1920)
- Faith, Hope and Charity in Primitive Religion, (1930–1932)
- Sacraments of Simple Folk, (1930–1932)
- A Jerseyman at Oxford, (1941) autobiography