Thomas believes that Mathews was seized by '
ethnomania' a quaint term the definition of which is given its own page--when, in the course of surveying a property north of Sydney, his attention was drawn to some Aboriginal paintings in a cave nearby.
In his recent biography of RH Mathews, Martin Thomas (2011:ix, 15-58) coined the term '
ethnomania' to describe the almost frenetic collecting activities of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century men who became known as ethnologists.
Is Not Forever," "Neo-Darwinism," and "Confronting
Ethnomania." The chapter on "
ethnomania" attacks the ethnocentrism and racism that make excessive claims for the accomplishments of one or other ethnic group and have contributed so much to the viciousness of recent, often genocidal, ethnic clashes.