Wilhelm Schmidt Austrian ethnographer and linguist Date of Birth: 16.02.1868 Country: Austria

1. Wilhelm Schmidt: Austrian Ethnographer and Linguist
2. Early Studies and Interests
3. Origins of Religion
4. Cultural-Historical School and the Anthropos Institute
5. Monotheism and Cultural Evolution
6. Later Years and Legacy

Wilhelm Schmidt: Austrian Ethnographer and Linguist

Wilhelm Schmidt was born in Hö̈rde, Germany, in 1868. He joined the Society of the Divine Word in 1890 and was ordained as a priest in 1892. Schmidt studied linguistics at the universities of Berlin and Vienna and became a professor of theological disciplines in a missionary seminary in 1895.

Early Studies and Interests

Schmidt's initial interest was in mon-khmer languages, but he also engaged in research in ethnology and comparative religion. His primary focus was the languages of Oceania, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

Origins of Religion

After 1900, Schmidt's research shifted towards explaining the development of religion. His studies on this topic attracted the attention of ethnographers from the Academy of Sciences and the Anthropological Society, leading to his appointment as a lecturer in ethnography at the University of Vienna in 1921.

Cultural-Historical School and the Anthropos Institute

Schmidt was the founder of the journal "Anthropos" in 1906 and the director of the Anthropos Institute, established in 1931. These organizations promoted the cultural-historical school and played a significant role in the development of anthropology.

Monotheism and Cultural Evolution

Schmidt argued that the original idea of God was preserved in its purest form among nomadic peoples who believed in a heavenly God. He believed that other cultures had lost this essential belief. Moreover, Schmidt claimed that as societies developed, many people made progress in social and cultural spheres but often lost their religious and ethical foundations, including their original monotheism.

Later Years and Legacy

Following the Anschluss in Austria in March 1938, Schmidt moved his institute to Fribourg, Switzerland, where he remained from 1939 to 1951. He was a prolific writer, publishing his 12-volume work "Der Ursprung der Gottesidee" (The Origin of the Idea of God) from 1912 to 1954. Schmidt received several honorary doctorates from renowned European universities and left a lasting legacy in the field of anthropology.