Final answer:
Edward B. Tylor, a British anthropologist, is incorrectly identified as the father of American anthropology; that title more accurately applies to Franz Boas. Tylor's unilineal evolutionary theories are now largely rejected in favor of more nuanced understandings of cultural development as promoted by Boas.
Step-by-step explanation:
The claim that Edward B. Tylor is considered to be the father of American anthropology is false. Edward Tylor was indeed a prominent figure in the development of anthropology as a scientific discipline. However, Tylor was British and is more accurately described as one of the founders of modern anthropology in general, rather than specifically American anthropology. The true 'father' of American anthropology is often considered to be Franz Boas, due to his significant contributions to the field and his influence on American anthropology. Tylor proposed a unilineal model of cultural evolution in which societies progress through stages from 'savagery' to 'barbarism' to 'civilization'. He articulated these ideas in his seminal work, Primitive Culture. However, these theories, based heavily on ethnocentric views and not substantiated by empirical evidence, have been largely abandoned in contemporary anthropology. Conversely, Franz Boas, a German-American anthropologist, emphasized the importance of understanding each culture within its own historical context, opposing the unilineal narrative of cultural evolution by introducing the principles of historical particularism and cultural relativism. Boas insisted on rigorous fieldwork and direct observation, a methodology that has come to define the discipline of anthropology.