Anne MacKaye Chapman

The late Anne Chapman was an anthropologist who specialised in the cultures of Tierra del Fuego. Using her knowledge of the area she found lots of examples of poor judgement in Darwin's description of Tierra del Fuego's tribes during his five-year trip on the Beagle. His opinions seem to reflect more the ideas of his age about "primitive" cultures versus superior (English) culture than detailed observations, resulting in incorrect and indelicate statements in his diaries and books.

The book is poorly edited with repetitions and some spelling and grammatical errors.

What is worse is the lack of context given in her book. The interest of the expedition in Tierra del Fuego or the influence on Darwin's later theories is not or is hardly covered.

Beyond the conclusion given above, it is mainly useful as a source of learning a bit about the area's people.… (mehr)