George-Alexis Montandon (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ mɔ̃tɑ̃dɔ̃]; 19 April 1879 – 30 August 1944) was a Swiss French anthropologist. He was a proponent of scientific racism prior to World War II. During the German occupation of France, he was responsible for the anti-Semitic exhibition Le Juif et la France.

George Montandon
Born
George-Alexis Montandon

19 April 1879
Died30 August 1944 (aged 65)
Cause of deathExecution by shooting
NationalitySwiss French
OccupationAnthropologist
Known forLe Juif et la France
De Loys's ape

George Montandon helped to perpetuate the hoax of De Loys's ape and fought for it be scientifically recognised as a new species. He was heavily ridiculed for his hypothesis. Today, De Loys's ape is virtually unanimously regarded as a hoax.[1]

Ethnologist at the Musée de l'Homme, theoretician of racism, collaborator and anti-Semite, he was one of the guarantors of a so-called "scientific" racism before the Second World War. However, even under Vichy, he and the movement to which he belonged with René Martial remained marginal in the French intellectual world.[2]

George Montandon was an advocate for racist eugenics theories. He and his wife were killed by the French Resistance for collaborating with the Nazis.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Saunders, Christopher "Things That Are Not: Georges Montandon's Malicious Monkey Business," The Avocado [1]
  2. ^ Culture nazie ? : la tentation léthale des intellectuels du XXe siècle = Cultura nazista ? : la tentazione letale degli intelletuali del Novecento. Andrea Cavazzini. Milan: Mimesis. 2007. ISBN 978-88-8483-462-1. OCLC 496763277.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ^ "Sewasew | Montandon, George Alexis".