Sir James George Frazer was a Social Anthropologist, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He attended the University of Glasgow and Cambridge University. He was elected as a Fellow of Trinity College in 1879, and remained until his unfortunate death in 1941. Sir James was made a Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Liverpool in 1907, and continued teaching until 1922.
Frazer's work covered a wide array of anthropological research. The study of myth and religion became his areas of expertise. He was the first to suggest a relation between myths and rituals. This gave myths legitimacy in the order of society. His theory was extended to explain the meaning of myths in literate societies like are own. The monumental work had a great impact on early 20th-century thought.
The Golden Bough (1890), a study of ancient cults, rites, myths and their parallels with early Christianity, was his greatest work. It encompassed many of his other skills, including his eloquent writing style and supreme knowledge of his field. This book established Frazer as a preeminent scholar. He would expand it to 12 volumes in the next 25 years in a monumental exploration of the cults, legends, myths and rites of the world and their influence on the development of religion. However, the number of volumes has come under scrutiny depending upon the source. Some have the figure reaching as high as 15, but the general consensus is 12 volumes. In 1914, he was knighted for his work in the further advancement of his field.
He wrote many other works, including:
Totemism and Exogamy (1910)
Man, God, and Immortality (1927)
Creation and Evolution in Primitive Cosmogonies (1935)
Phillips, Robert S. Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. Funk & Wagnalls, Inc.United States, 1983, Vol 11, p. 27.
Microsoft Bookshelf 1998 Edition
Web Sources:
A&E Biographies @ www.biography.com
Trinity College Library, UK @
rabbit.trin.cam.ac.uk/~jon/Msscolls/Frazer.html
Written by: Students in an Introduction to Anthropology Class, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota 2000