ABSTRACT
By the end of the 1870s and beginning of the 1880s, when the Belgian anthropological society was finally created, European anthropology had however reached a turning point. Whereas physical anthropology and racial studies became questioned, evolutionism and ethnography were gaining influence. Moreover, Topinard stressed the difference between anthropology on the one hand and ethnography and ethnology on the other. The conflict was directly reflected in the society’s organization. Vanderkindere still became nominated as the first president but was soon succeeded by Heger and Houze. The dominance of anatomical anthropology over Vanderkindere’s ‘ethnology’ was also reflected in membership. At first glance, the careers of Houze and Vanderkindere show remarkable similarities. Like Vanderkindere, Emile Houzé belonged to a family of doctors and hence to the Brussels bourgeoisie.
