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European man, conqueror of the New World, was not benevolent. He was greedy and raped the New World of its riches and peoples. He was self-centered, ignoring and destroying sacred religious beliefs and existing communities and imposing the Christian church and political structure on overwhelmed natives. This is the explanation that a retired anthropologist offers to an alien species that has invaded Earth. The aliens are puzzled that twenty first-century Earth consists of basically homogeneous business communities. The focus of this ethnological study is 1492^-2020 (2020 has ended in a standoff between the West and Japan fighting for control of world economies). The author (On Becoming Human, 1995), a retired anthropologist himself, does a competent job describing the impact of Western tools, language, food, science, politics, economics, family values, and religion on other cultures. No major events are highlighted; rather, it is a collage of the triumph of Western ideals worldwide. Karen Simonetti
Book Description
This is a popular history book of the most significant event to most peoples of the world since the rise of cities. It tells in a science fiction format how humankind became the dominant species and how European Man became dominant over other humans. It is the legacy of Columbus and the other European explorers. The book is a dialogue between one of the last surviving anthropologists and a computer named Mary who works for the new conquerors of the Earth. Their interchange draws a parallel between extra-terrestrial invaders and European man who invaded the rest of the earth after 1492. Though based on a lifetime of study and teaching by Arthur Niehoff, anthropologist, the book has been written as popular history.
From the Back Cover
In 400 years "Euroman" made the world his own. Now the tables are turned. The year is 2020 A.D. and aliens have taken over the earth. Mary, an extra-terrestrial in the form of a computer, is interviewing the oldest living anthropologist, Dr. Peter Hermann. The invaders want to learn what they can about our now-vanishing culture. How did man become the dominant species? How did the subspecies, Euroman, become dominant over people of color? How did European expansionists drastically change the way of life of people everywhere? Once the super race, now we are the subjects of salvage ethnology-the study of a dying culture. Niehoff's trademark wit and wisdom elevate every page. Already in use in many high school and college classrooms, Takeover is a rare treat for the student and general reader alike.
WHAT STUDENTS SAY| "Dr. Niehoff is able to look at the human race
without flinching or apologizing." "The science fiction format is
ingenious . . . it offers an unbiased view of evolution and the human
condition." "Dr. Niehoff holds up a telling mirror. Seeing ourselves
invaded by an alien culture, we begin to understand the terrific impact
our own European ancestors had on those they dominated."
About the Author
Dr. Arthur Niehoff has been an anthropologist for 50 years. He got his
B.A. at Indiana University and Ph.D. at Columbia University, both in
cultural anthropology. He has done fieldwork in most parts of the world
and has published many articles and books in the field. He was a
Fulbright scholar in India in 1952-53 and has consulted many times for
the Agency for International Development and the United Nations. He also
worked as a village development adviser in Laos in 1959-61. He has
taught since 1961 at the University of Wisconsin, George Washing
University, American University, and for 25 years at California State
University, Los Angeles. Since his retirement in 1970 he has been
publishing popular books in anthropology and history to explain how
humankind got the way it is. In order to put pleasure into learning, his
writing combines narrative with explanation.
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