''Gradhiva'' is an

anthropological Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behaviour, wh ...

and museological journal, founded in 1986 by the poet and social scientist

Michel Leiris Julien Michel Leiris (; 20 April 1901, Paris – 30 September 1990, Saint-Hilaire, Essonne) was a French surrealist writer and ethnographer. Part of the Surrealist group in Paris, Leiris became a key member of the College of Sociology with Geor ...

and by the anthropologist Jean Jamin. Since 2005, it has been published by the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris.The 'Gradhiva' Journal
Its title derives from a novel by W. Jensen ('' Gradiva'') which was the basis for a famous investigation by

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

, and that strongly inspired the

Surrealists Surrealism is an art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike scenes and id ...

. Leiris ans Jamin inserted an "H" in the word to highlight that the journal focused on the History of anthropology, and that the editing was done at the

Musée de l'Homme The Musée de l'Homme (; literally "Museum of Mankind" or "Museum of Humanity") is an anthropology museum in Paris, France. It was established in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 ''Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moder ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The title thus became the

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

"" ("Research and Documentary Analysis Group, History and Variations of Anthropology"). It was edited by Jean Jamin between 1986 and 1996, by Françoise Zonabend from 1996 to 2006, and by Erwan Dianteill from 2006 until 2008. Initially dedicated to the history and the archives of anthropology, it maintained its original mission, yet later opened up to a greater extent to contemporary developments of anthropology and museology. Based on original examinations and the publication of archives, Gradhiva'' was open to a variety of disciplines:

ethnology Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Sci ...

aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

, literature and even music. Finally, it sought to develop an interaction between the text and images through high-quality and original

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

. In 2007, the anthropologist Sally Price ended her review article on ''Gradhiva'' in ''The Museum Anthropology Review'' by saying: ''Gradhiva'' was published by the French publishe
Jean Michel Place
until 2004. In 2009, the journal was retitled as ''Anthropology of Art'', with a new direction.

References

Anthropology journals French-language journals English-language journals Museology {{anthropology-journal-stub

Further reading

References