Unique Anthropology Data on Latvians in the 1930s – Results of Primanis’ Expeditions

Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation

Description

We aim to analyse newly digitized data collected in 1930s on Latvian citizen characteristics. This is the attempt to describe anthropological characteristics from a unique study that widely describes the parameters of people living in different regions of Latvia.. The activity of Latvian Professor Jekabs Primanis contributed to the development of anthropology as a branch of science. Under his leadership, expeditions were organized in Piebalga (1936), Jurmala of Vidzeme (1937) and Zemgale district (1939). In the expeditions a descriptive or social part with demographic, genealogical, medical, and social questions, and measurements were included. A total of 9,425 people questionnaires were digitalised and anthropologically studied. Qualitative data were described as counts and percents. Quantitative data were described as median, range and interquartile range. Data were organised in MS Excel and analysed with statistical program IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0.. A total of 4,316 (45.8 %) males and 5,109 (54.2 %) females were included in the study. Almost half of participants 4,453 (47,2 %) were not married and another half 4,074 (43.2 %) were married, only 842 (8.9 %) were widowed and 56 (0.6 %) were divorced. The median age from 8,870 of total questionnaires of participants was 36 years with range between 1 year to 96-year-old. Anthropometry descriptions such as face form, forehead, cheekbones, mouth, chin form, build of body, skin colour, hair shape and others were included. In the 1930s, the average Latvian most likely was with oval face (38.6 %), moderately strongly curved cheekbone (69.7 %), moderately large/medium mouth (79.6 %), average chin (78.1 %), light skin colour (98.3 %) and with smooth hair shape (93.3 %).. Such a study is unique to Latvia, and it would be desirable to continue in order to provide an approach to international studies on genealogy.
Period29 Mar 2023
Event titleRSU International Research Conference 2023: Knowledge for Use in Practice
Event typeConference
OrganiserRīga Stradiņš University
LocationRiga, LatviaShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

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