George Montandon
French anthropologist
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George-Alexis Montandon (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ mɔ̃tɑ̃dɔ̃]; 19 April 1879 – 30 August 1944) was a Swiss French anthropologist. He was a proponent of scientific racism prior to World War II. During the German occupation of France, he was responsible for the anti-Semitic exhibition Le Juif et la France.
19 April 1879
George Montandon | |
|---|---|
| Born | George-Alexis Montandon 19 April 1879 |
| Died | 30 August 1944 (aged 65) |
| Cause of death | Execution by shooting |
| Occupation | Anthropologist |
| Known for | Le Juif et la France De Loys's ape |
George Montandon helped to perpetuate the hoax of De Loys's ape and fought for it be scientifically recognised as a new species. He was heavily ridiculed for his hypothesis. Today, De Loys's ape is virtually unanimously regarded as a hoax.[1]
Ethnologist at the Musée de l'Homme, theoretician of racism, collaborator and anti-Semite, he was one of the guarantors of a so-called "scientific" racism before the Second World War. However, even under Vichy, he and the movement to which he belonged with René Martial remained marginal in the French intellectual world.[2]
George Montandon was an advocate for racist eugenics theories. He and his wife were killed by the French Resistance for collaborating with the Nazis.[3]