Humanities, MOR-PIK

The humanities are those branches of knowledge that concern themselves with human beings and their culture. The humanities include the study of all languages and literatures, the arts, history, and philosophy.
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Humanities Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Morgan, Charles Langbridge
Charles Langbridge Morgan was an English novelist, playwright, and critic. He was a distinguished writer of refined......
Morgan, Lewis Henry
Lewis Henry Morgan was an American ethnologist and a principal founder of scientific anthropology, known especially......
Morphophonemics
Morphophonemics, in linguistics, study of the relationship between morphology (q.v.) and phonology (q.v.). Morphophonemics......
Morris, William
William Morris was an English designer, craftsman, poet, and early socialist, whose designs for furniture, fabrics,......
Morrison, Arthur
Arthur Morrison was an English writer noted for realist novels and short stories describing slum life in London’s......
Morrison, Toni
Toni Morrison was an American writer noted for her examination of Black experience (particularly Black female experience)......
Morse, Jedidiah
Jedidiah Morse was an American Congregational minister and geographer, who was the author of the first textbook......
Motherwell, Robert
Robert Motherwell was an American painter, one of the founders and principal exponents of Abstract Expressionism......
Motion, Andrew
Andrew Motion is a British poet, biographer, and novelist who was especially noted for his narrative poetry. He......
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College, private institution of higher education for women that began admitting transgender and nonbinary......
Muldoon, Paul
Paul Muldoon is a Northern Irish poet whose oeuvre covers both intensely personal and political terrain—from his......
Muratori, Lodovico Antonio
Lodovico Antonio Muratori was a scholar and pioneer of modern Italian historiography. After studying at Modena......
Murdock, George P.
George P. Murdock was an American anthropologist who specialized in comparative ethnology, the ethnography of African......
Muret, Marc-Antoine de
Marc-Antoine de Muret was a French humanist and classical scholar, celebrated for the elegance of his Latin prose......
musical criticism
musical criticism, branch of philosophical aesthetics concerned with making judgments about composition or performance......
musicology
musicology, the scholarly and scientific study of music. The German term Musikwissenschaft (“science of music”)......
Mussato, Albertino
Albertino Mussato was an Italian statesman and writer who was outstanding both as a poet and as a historian of......
Métraux, Alfred
Alfred Métraux was a Swiss anthropologist noted for his pioneering contributions to South American ethnohistory......
MĂŒller, Friedrich
Friedrich MĂŒller was an Austrian linguist who worked on many different languages and language families; he is often......
MĂŒller, Max
Max MĂŒller was a German scholar of comparative language, religion, and mythology. MĂŒller’s special areas of interest......
MĂŒnster, Sebastian
Sebastian MĂŒnster was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and Hebrew scholar whose Cosmographia (1544; “Cosmography”)......
Nabokov, Vladimir
Vladimir Nabokov was a Russian-born American novelist and critic and the foremost of the post-1917 émigré authors.......
Nadel, S.F.
S.F. Nadel was an Austrian-born British anthropologist whose investigations of African ethnology led him to explore......
narratology
narratology, in literary theory, the study of narrative structure. Narratology looks at what narratives have in......
National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an independent agency of the U.S. government that supports research,......
Neoevolutionism
Neoevolutionism, school of anthropology concerned with long-term culture change and with the similar patterns of......
Neogrammarian
Neogrammarian, any of a group of German scholars that arose around 1875; their chief tenet concerning language......
Neurolinguistics
Neurolinguistics, the study of the neurological mechanisms underlying the storage and processing of language. Although......
New Humanism
New Humanism, critical movement in the United States between 1910 and 1930, based on the literary and social theories......
Newberry Library
Newberry Library, independently governed and funded research library located in Chicago and founded in 1887. Free......
Newhall, Nancy
Nancy Newhall was an American photography critic, conservationist, and editor who was an important contributor......
newly industrialized country
newly industrialized country (NIC), country whose national economy has transitioned from being primarily based......
nianhao
nianhao, system of dating that was adopted by the Chinese in 140 bce (retroactive to 841 bce). The nianhao system......
Niccoli, NiccolĂČ
NiccolĂČ Niccoli was a wealthy Renaissance Humanist from Florence whose collections of ancient art objects and library......
Nicholas Of Clémanges
Nicholas Of Clémanges was a theologian, humanist, and educator who denounced the corruption of institutional Christianity,......
Nicholas V
Nicholas V was an influential Renaissance pope (reigned 1447–55) and founder of the Vatican Library. Soon after......
Niebuhr, Barthold Georg
Barthold Georg Niebuhr was a German historian who started a new era in historical studies by his method of source......
Nordenskiöld, Erland
Erland Nordenskiöld was a Swedish ethnologist, archaeologist, and a foremost student of South American Indian culture.......
Nougé, Paul
Paul Nougé was a Belgian poet and intellectual theorist. He and René Magritte were the most important figures in......
Nunes, Pedro
Pedro Nunes was a mathematician, geographer, and the chief figure in Portuguese nautical science, noted for his......
Nƍami
Nƍami was a Japanese poet, painter, and art critic, the first nonpriest who painted in the suiboku (“water-ink”),......
Oberlin College
Oberlin College, private coeducational institution of higher learning offering programs in liberal arts and music......
Occidental College
Occidental College, Private liberal-arts college in Los Angeles, founded in 1887. It awards the baccalaureate degree......
Oecolampadius, Johann
Johann Oecolampadius was a German humanist, preacher, and patristic scholar who, as a close friend of the Swiss......
Okakura Kakuzƍ
Okakura Kakuzƍ was an art critic who had a great influence upon modern Japanese art. Okakura graduated (1880) from......
Olivet College
Olivet College, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Olivet, Mich., U.S., located about 30......
opportunism
opportunism, a foundational assumption of many economic theories that claims human beings are generally self-interested......
optimum currency area
optimum currency area, a currency area in which the benefits of using a common currency outweigh the costs of individual......
organizational analysis
organizational analysis, in management science, the study of the processes that characterize all kinds of organizations,......
Orientalism
Orientalism, Western scholarly discipline of the 18th and 19th centuries that encompassed the study of the languages,......
Ortiz, Fernando
Fernando Ortiz was an anthropologist, essayist, and philologist who pioneered in the study of neo-African cultures......
Ostaijen, Paul van
Paul van Ostaijen was a Flemish man of letters whose avant-garde Expressionist poetry and writings on literature......
Our Days Are Numbered: 7 Crazy Facts About Calendars
For thousands of years, we humans have been trying to work out the best way to keep track of our time on Earth.......
Ozenfant, Amédée
Amédée Ozenfant was a French painter and theoretician, who cofounded the 20th-century art movement known as Purism.......
Pacheco, José Emilio
José Emilio Pacheco was a Mexican critic, novelist, short-story writer, translator, and poet. Early in his career......
paleoanthropology
paleoanthropology, interdisciplinary branch of anthropology concerned with the origins and development of early......
paleogeography
paleogeography, the ancient geography of Earth’s surface. Earth’s geography is constantly changing: continents......
paleography
paleography, study of ancient and medieval handwriting. The term is derived from the Greek palaios (“old”) and......
Palgrave, Francis Turner
Francis Turner Palgrave was an English critic and poet, editor of the influential anthology The Golden Treasury.......
Palladio, Andrea
Andrea Palladio was an Italian architect, regarded as the greatest architect of 16th-century northern Italy. His......
Palomino De Castro Y Velasco
Palomino De Castro Y Velasco was a Spanish painter, scholar, and author, the last court painter to King Charles......
Paludan, Jacob
Jacob Paludan was a Danish novelist and conservative critic whose work expressed a mistrust—based on the fear of......
Pandolfi, Vito
Vito Pandolfi was an Italian critic, theatrical scholar, and director known for his adherence to traditional forms......
Panofsky, Erwin
Erwin Panofsky was a German American art historian who gained particular prominence for his studies in iconography......
papyrology
papyrology, the care, reading, and interpretation of ancient documents written on papyrus, which is of prime importance......
papyrus
papyrus, writing material of ancient times and also the plant from which it was derived, Cyperus papyrus (family......
parallel
parallel, imaginary line extending around the Earth parallel to the equator; it is used to indicate latitude. The......
Paris, Gaston
Gaston Paris was the greatest French philologist of his age. After a thorough education in German universities......
Parry, Sir Hubert Hastings, Baronet
Sir Hubert Hastings Parry, Baronet was a composer, writer, and teacher, influential in the revival of English music......
Parsons, Elsie Clews
Elsie Clews Parsons was an American sociologist and anthropologist whose studies of the Pueblo and other Native......
Particularism
Particularism, school of anthropological thought associated with the work of Franz Boas and his students (among......
Pasinetti, Francesco
Francesco Pasinetti was an Italian motion picture director, historian, critic, comedy writer, screenwriter, and......
Passarge, Siegfried
Siegfried Passarge was a geographer and geomorphologist known for his studies of southern Africa. A professor at......
Pater, Walter
Walter Pater was an English critic, essayist, and humanist whose advocacy of “art for art’s sake” became a cardinal......
Pedersen, Christiern
Christiern Pedersen was a Danish humanist who was among the first to rediscover Denmark’s national literary and......
Pedersen, Holger
Holger Pedersen was a Danish linguist of exceptional accomplishment, especially in comparative Celtic grammar.......
Pedersen, Johannes Peder Ejler
Johannes Peder Ejler Pedersen was a Danish Old Testament scholar and Semitic philologist, important for his conception......
pedology
pedology, scientific discipline concerned with all aspects of soils, including their physical and chemical properties,......
Pedrell, Felipe
Felipe Pedrell was a Spanish composer and musical scholar who devoted his life to the development of a Spanish......
Pei, Mario
Mario Pei was an Italian-born American linguist whose many works helped to provide the general public with a popular......
Peiresc, Nicolas-Claude Fabri de
Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc was a French antiquary, humanist, and influential patron of learning who discovered......
Penck, Albrecht
Albrecht Penck was a geographer, who exercised a major influence on the development of modern German geography,......
penology
penology, the division of criminology that concerns itself with the philosophy and practice of society in its efforts......
Perle, George
George Perle was an American composer, music theorist, musicologist, and educator who expanded ways of working......
Perry, W.J.
W.J. Perry was a British geographer and anthropologist noted for his diffusionist theory of cultural development.......
Pestalozzianism
Pestalozzianism, pedagogical doctrines of Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746–1827) stressing that......
Petrarch
Petrarch was an Italian scholar, poet, and humanist whose poems addressed to Laura, an idealized beloved, contributed......
Pettazzoni, Raffaele
Raffaele Pettazzoni was an Italian historian of religions and educator, a founder and president (1950–59) of the......
Pfefferkorn, Johannes
Johannes Pfefferkorn was a German controversialist—a Christianized Jew—and opponent of Jewish literature, whose......
Philology
Philology, traditionally, the study of the history of language, including the historical study of literary texts.......
Philostratus the Lemnian
Philostratus the Lemnian was an ancient Greek writer, son-in-law of Flavius Philostratus. He was the author of......
Phonemics
Phonemics, in linguistics, the study of the phonemes and phonemic system of a language. For linguists who analyze......
Phonology
Phonology, study of the sound patterns that occur within languages. Some linguists include phonetics, the study......
Physical anthropology
Physical anthropology, branch of anthropology concerned with the origin, evolution, and diversity of people. Physical......
physiocrat
physiocrat, any of a school of economists founded in 18th-century France and characterized chiefly by a belief......
Picabia, Francis
Francis Picabia was a French painter, illustrator, designer, writer, and editor, who was successively involved......
Pike, Kenneth L.
Kenneth L. Pike was an American linguist and anthropologist known for his studies of the aboriginal languages of......

Humanities Encyclopedia Articles By Title