Besprechungen: Atlas van Tropisch Nederland

Summary

This review article contains two critiques. The first praises the Atlas of Tropical Netherlands, which comprises 31 sheets of the Dutch East and West Indies. Combining accurate topographic maps with thematic maps of volcanoes, geology, vegetation, and economic activity, and supplied with multilingual explanations, it constitutes a valuable scientific reference. The second review discusses James Frazer's The Native Races of Africa and Madagascar, but criticizes it as a mere mosaic of excerpts from travel literature that lacks systematic synthesis and critical analysis. The reviewer also rejects Frazer's linear conception of cultural evolution from savagery to civilization, arguing that it neglects the diversity and complexity of social organization in non-Western cultures.