Final answer:
Franz Boas worked in applied anthropology, promoting a holistic approach to the field and advancing the understanding of cultural changes through empirical research and theoretical challenges to ethnocentrism and racism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is true: Franz Boas did indeed work in applied anthropology. Franz Boas is often regarded as the father of modern anthropology and is known for his rigorous standards of field research. Through his university positions and association with the Bureau of American Ethnology, he significantly contributed to the application of anthropological knowledge and methods. While we do not have information about Holly Barker in the provided reference, Franz Boas's work certainly involved applied aspects as he sent out scholars to collect ethnographic data and used this data to challenge ethnocentric and racist theories prevalent at the time.
Boas's holistic approach to anthropology was instrumental in integrating its four fields—cultural, linguistic, archaeology, and physical anthropology. Through his career, Boas promoted the idea that every culture has its own unique historical trajectory and that cultures are continuously interacting and changing.