Malinowski was born in Kraków, Poland on April 7th, 1884. He was raised in an aristocratic family. His father, Lucjan, was a professor of philosophy at a Polish university and a linguist who worked on Polish folklore. His mother, Jozefa, was also a linguist. Most of Malinowksi’s early education was learned at home. He traveled around the Mediterranean region with his mother when he was a teenager. 