Answer:
D) In addition, rather than dwelling on or overtly challenging the social and economic oppression of certain communities, she used her anthropological training to explore how folklore could empower African Americans by legitimizing their local cultures.
Explanation:
According to a different source, this is the passage and the options that come with this question:
"In 1925, Hurston began her studies at Barnard College, where, under the tutelage of Franz Boas, the “Father of Modern Anthropology”—she embraced the idea of cultural relativism, or studying a culture in isolation rather than in comparison to others. Her work reflected this exposition, as she sought to capture what she termed the “natural” art of African Americans through speech song and folklore. By adopting the vernacular, for example, Hurston believed that she could develop the authenticity of her characters and present the uniqueness of African American culture."
A) Hurston’s autobiography, <em>Dust Tracks on a Road</em>, was widely criticized due to its inconsistencies and inaccuracies which made it seem more like her works of fiction than a factual account of her life.
B) Hurston had an interest in theater, for example, and even helped to establish a school of dramatic arts four years later at Bethune-Cookman College.
C) Although Hurston’s work was not initially well-received because she failed to take up the political rights of African Americans, it is now viewed as groundbreaking feminist literature because her characters challenge systemic misogyny.
D) In addition, rather than dwelling on or overtly challenging the social and economic oppression of certain communities, she used her anthropological training to explore how folklore could empower African Americans by legitimizing their local cultures.
This is the option that best shows how Franz Boas was influential in Hurston's work. In this text, we learn that Boas believed that it was important to look at cultures from an anthropological point of view that did not judge them against others, but that focused on their unique attributes. Hurston used this knowledge of anthropology in order to explore the folklore or African Americans. She hoped this would allow her to legitimize their local cultures.
