From advocacy to ethnology: Frank Speck and the development of early anthropological projects in Canada, 1911--1920

The intention of this thesis is to provide a deeper understanding of the various elements of Frank G. Speck's anthropological work and practices during the early twentieth century. The various elements of Speck's work examined include his role as an ethnologist, museum collector and advocate of First Nations rights in Canada. By contextualizing the detailed interactions in Canada between anthropologists, aboriginal peoples and government officials during the early twentieth century, Speck's work as an advocate, collector and ethnologist begins to emerge. It is through a specific and particular historical analysis that I foreground Speck's role in the formation of the ideological and academic history of anthropology in Canada. Ultimately, the relationship between Speck's role as an advocate and his ethnographic and ethnological work suggests that the ideological and academic history of anthropological research and practices in Canada cannot be easily separated.