S. M. Shirokogoroff
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Sergei Mikhailovich Shirokogorov (russian: Серге́й Михайлович Широкогоров; , 1887-1939) was a Russian
anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
. A
White émigré White Russian émigrés were Russians who emigrated from the territory of the former Russian Empire in the wake of the Russian Revolution (1917) and Russian Civil War (1917–1923), and who were in opposition to the revolutionary Bolshevik commun ...
, he lived in China from 1922 until his death.


Early life and education

Shirokogoroff was born in
Suzdal Suzdal ( rus, Суздаль, p=ˈsuzdəlʲ) is a town that serves as the administrative center of Suzdalsky District in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which is located on the Kamenka River, north of the city of Vladimir. Vladimir is the admin ...
. He went to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in 1906 to study at the
University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...
(
Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...
) and then the École d'anthropologie. He returned to Russia in 1910 to enter the Natural Sciences Department of the
Saint Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
, but pursued other interests including archaeology and then anthropology. Under the direction of
Vasily Radlov Vasily Vasilievich Radlov or Friedrich Wilhelm Radloff (russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Ра́длов; in Berlin – 12 May 1918 in Petrograd) was a German-born Russian founder of Turkology, a scientific study of Turkic peoples. ...
he began studying the ethnography of the
Tungusic peoples Tungusic peoples are an ethno-linguistic group formed by the speakers of Tungusic languages (or Manchu–Tungus languages). They are native to Siberia and Northeast Asia. The Tungusic phylum is divided into two main branches, northern (Evenic or ...
, participating in expeditions in
northeast China Northeast China or Northeastern China () is a geographical region of China, which is often referred to as "Manchuria" or "Inner Manchuria" by surrounding countries and the West. It usually corresponds specifically to the three provinces east of t ...
and eastern
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
.


Career

In 1912, Shirokogoroff started his research of the ethnography of the
Manchu people The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and Q ...
. As Manchus in most of China had by that time long been strongly
Sinicized Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, particularly the language, societal norms, cul ...
in their language and culture, Shirokogoroff went in 1915 to one of the most remote corner of the country, the
Aigun Aigun (; Manchu: ''aihūn hoton''; ) was a historic Chinese town in northern Manchuria, situated on the right bank of the Amur River, some south (downstream) from the central urban area of Heihe (which is across the Amur from the mouth of the Z ...
district (now
Heihe Heihe (; ; Russian: Хэйхэ) is a prefecture-level city of northern Heilongjiang province, China, located on the Russian border, on the south bank of the Amur (Heilong) River, across the river from Blagoveshchensk. At the 2020 census, 1,2 ...
) on the
Amur River The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's List of longest rivers, tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China, Northeastern China (Inne ...
, opposite Russia's
Blagoveshchensk Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благове́щенск, p=bləgɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, meaning ''City of the Annunciation'') is a city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur and the Zeya Rivers, opp ...
. The Aigun area until recently had few Chinese settlers, and, despite the dislocations occasioned by the events of 1900, the Manchus there had largely preserved their language and distinct way of life. Shirokogoroff spent 18 months working with the Manchus there. In 1917-1918 he complemented his Aigun field research with a study of the Manchus in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, who had been living there in the Chinese environment since 1644. With the outbreak of the
Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
, Shirokogoroff first stayed in
Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
at the
Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pamantasan ng Malayong Silanganan''), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private non-sectarian Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Manila, Philippines ...
. In 1922 he went to
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
on a business trip to get some of his works (including the ''Social organization of the Manchus'') printed, but due to the fall of Vladivostok to the communists in 1922, remained in Shanghai as part of the city's Russian community. Shirokogoroff joined the
Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...
's Ethnology section in 1928 under
Cai Yuanpei Cai Yuanpei (; 1868–1940) was a Chinese philosopher and politician who was an influential figure in the history of Chinese modern education. He made contributions to education reform with his own education ideology. He was the president of Pek ...
, and along with his wife and Yang Qingkun did fieldwork among the
Yi people The Yi or Nuosu people,; zh, c=彝族, p=Yízú, l=Yi ethnicity historically known as the Lolo,; vi, Lô Lô; th, โล-โล, Lo-Lo are an ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with eac ...
of
Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
. He also taught at
Fu Jen Catholic University Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU, FJCU or Fu Jen; or ) is a private Catholic university in Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1925 in Beijing at the request of Pope Pius XI and re-established in Taiwan in 1961 at ...
(which later moved to
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
). Afterwards, he was the first (and for quite some time, only) anthropology professor at
Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...
. Administratively, the status of anthropology was in flux for the first few years; the department began as "Sociology and Anthropology", then changed to "Sociology"; however, it was an "integral part of the department". He was the master's thesis advisor for
Fei Xiaotong Fei Xiaotong or Fei Hsiao-tung (November 2, 1910 – April 24, 2005) was a Chinese anthropologist and sociologist. He was a pioneering researcher and professor of sociology and anthropology; he was also noted for his studies in the study o ...
, who arrived at the university in 1933. Fei is best known for his association with
Bronisław Malinowski Bronisław Kasper Malinowski (; 7 April 1884 – 16 May 1942) was a Polish-British anthropologist and ethnologist whose writings on ethnography, social theory, and field research have exerted a lasting influence on the discipline of anthropol ...
, but Fei himself says that Shirokogoroff was more influential in his academic development. Another student of Shirokogoroff's at Tsinghua was Francis Hsu, who had a less favourable view of him, complaining years later of his "authoritarian" and "intimidating" personal style. Shirokogoroff also had rather poor relations with fellow expatriates Wilhelm Schmidt and
Alfred Radcliffe-Brown Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown, FBA (born Alfred Reginald Brown; 17 January 1881 – 24 October 1955) was an English social anthropologist who helped further develop the theory of structural functionalism. Biography Alfred Reginald Radcli ...
.


Works and legacy

Major works of Shirokogoroff's include ''Opyt izsli︠e︡dovanīi︠a︡ osnov shamanstva u tungusov'' «Опыт исследования основ шаманства у тунгусов» (1919); ''Ėtnos. Izsli︠e︡dovanīe osnovnykh print︠s︡ipov izmi︠e︡nenīi︠a︡ ėtnicheskikh i ėtnograficheskikh i︠a︡vlenīĭ'' «Этнос. Исследование основных принципов изменения этнических и этнографических явлений» (1923); ''Social Organisation of the Manchus'' («Социальная организация маньчжур») (1924); and ''Psychomental Complex of the Tungus'' (1935), the latter written directly in English. He left behind a manuscript of an Evenki dictionary, which his wife conveyed to Yasumoto Tokunaga (later of
Kansai Gaidai University , almost always abbreviated ''Kansai Gaidai'' (関西外大), is located in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. It is a private university focusing on foreign language studies. Kansai is the proper name of the large region where it is located, which inclu ...
) in 1943. However this and other papers of Shirokogoroff's were lost during the
Occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...
when the
United States Army, Japan United States Army, Japan (USARJ) is a Major Command of the United States Army. It consists of operating port facilities and a series of logistics installations throughout Honshū and Okinawa. USARJ participates actively with the Japan Ground Se ...
took over the building of the ''Minzoku Kenkyūsho''. Later writers described Shirokogoroff as one of the greatest scholars of Tungusic studies. In 1991, Koichi Inoue discovered an unprinted manuscript of his about the
Evenki language Evenki (Ewenkī), formerly known as Tungus or Solon, is the largest member of the northern group of Tungusic languages, a group which also includes Even, Negidal, and the more closely related Oroqen language. The name is sometimes wrongly given ...
among the papers of Władysław Kotwicz (Inoue had been looking for information from
Bronisław Piłsudski Bronisław Piotr Piłsudski (; ; 2 November 1866 – 17 May 1918) was an ethnologist, who researched the Ainu people after he was exiled by the Tsar Alexander III of Russia to the Far East. Piłsudski pioneered research into Lithuanian cro ...
);


Anthropology

S. M. Shirokogoroff said that the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
were a complex of anthropological types, and Shirokogoroff believed that the Chinese type was seen in the people of
Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...
and
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
.Buxton, L.H. Dudley. (1996). The Peoples of Asia. Abingdon,
Oxon Oxon may refer to: * An abbreviation for the English city of Oxford, or the English county of Oxfordshire, or the University of Oxford (from ''Oxonia'', Latin for Oxford) * The post-nominal suffix indicating a degree from the University of Oxford ...
:
Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
. Page 162 & 163. Retrieved May 31, 2017, fro
link.
/ref>


References


Works by S. M. Shirokogoroff

* (reprint available by Anthropological Publications, 1966) * *


Bibliography

* * *


External links


Russian site with bibliographical listing and some personal photos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirokogoroff, S. M. 1887 births 1939 deaths People from Suzdal Russian anthropologists Academic staff of Tsinghua University Tungusologists White movement people Emigrants from the Russian Empire to China White Russian emigrants to China University of Paris alumni 20th-century anthropologists