Karl Weule

Karl Weule (29 February 1864, Alt-Wallmoden – 19 April 1926, Leipzig) was a German geographer and ethnologist.

Biography

He studied history, geography and German philology at the Universities of Leipzig and Göttingen, then in 1891 relocated to Berlin, where he served as an assistant geographer to Ferdinand von Richthofen, followed by work as an assistant to Adolf Bastian at the Ethnological Museum of Berlin. In 1899 he became an assistant director at the Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig.^[1][2]

In 1906 he traveled as an ethnologist to German East Africa, where he made use of cinematography and the phonograph in his ethnological research.^[3] In 1907 he returned to Germany and was appointed director of the Leipzig museum.^[2]

In 1914 he was named head of the Ethnographic Seminar and the Anthropological Research Center at the University of Leipzig. In 1920 he became a full professor, and in 1923/24 was dean of the department of philology and history to the Faculty of Philosophy at Leipzig.^[2]

Gravesite of Karl Weule at the Südfriedhof in Leipzig

Published works

• Der afrikanische Pfeil : eine anthropogeographische Studie, 1899 – The African arrow: an anthropogeographical study.
• Negerleben in Ostafrika. Ergebnisse einer ethnologischen forschungsreise, 1908; Later translated into English by Alice Werner as: "Native life in East Africa; the results of an ethnological research expedition" (1970).
• Die kultur der kulturlosen; ein blick in die anfänge menschlicher geistesbetätigung, 1910 – The culture of the uncultured; A look at the beginnings of human mental activity.
• Leitfaden der völkerkunde, 1912 – Guide to ethnology.
• Kulturelemente der menschheit, anfänge und urformen der materiellen kultur, 1910 – Cultural elements of humanity, beginnings and original forms of material culture.
• Die urgesellschaft und ihre lebensfürsorge, 1912 – The primitive society and its life maintenance.
• Vom kerbstock zum alphabet; urformen der schrift, 1915 – From the notched stick to the alphabet; Original forms of writing.
• Der Krieg in den Tiefen der Menschheit, 1916 – The war in the depths of humanity.
• Die anfänge der naturbeherrschung, 1921 – The beginnings involving the mastery of nature.
• Chemische Technologie der Naturvölker, 1922 – Chemical technology of primitive peoples.^[4]

References

1. Native Life in East Africa: The Results of an Ethnological Research Expedition by Karl Weule
2. SP Karl Weule - Interviews with German Anthropologists (biographical information)
3. Imperial Projections: Screening the German Colonies by Wolfgang Fuhrmann
4. HathiTrust Digital Library (published works)