Culture, ‘Race’ and History
I.
Introduction: The Concept of ‘Race’
a. Used to be taught that humanity can be divided into three ‘races’:
Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid.
b. However, physical anthropologists have found that there are more
variations within these categories than there are between them.
c. Any definition of ‘racial’ categories produces more exceptions than
inclusions.
d. Physical distinctions between human beings are both minor and
graded, not abrupt.
i. E.g. skin color comes in a spectrum from dark to light, noses
come in a range of shapes, etc.
ii. Also there is no correlation between variables, e.g. skin
colour does not dictate nose shape.
II.
Cultural Explanations of Human Differences
a. Logic: depends upon putting things into categories, and these
categories vary from one culture to another.
i. E.g. categories of ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ in meso-American and
other cultures.
b. Success on IQ tests depends upon access to North American
mainstream culture.
c. Many cultures also do not foster competitiveness and/or individual
ranking.
d. Fieldwork can often make one realize how ‘stupid’ and ‘childlike’ we
can be when faced with learning new behaviours and norms.
i. Similar to learning a language.
III.
The Concept of ‘Race’ and post-Enlightenment History
a. The scientific concept of race arose during the Enlightenment,
which was linked to the scientific revolution.
b. Rise of biology, anatomy and physiology led to hypothesis of
biological differences between ‘races’ and genders.
c. Two-sex theory emerged with anatomy.
d. Concept of ‘race’ gained greater currency in Europe and North
America during the mid to late nineteenth century.
e. Also the phase of the greatest expansion of colonialism throughout
the world.
f. Used to explain ‘differences’ between various regions of the world.
i. E.g. the categorization of the ‘hottentot venus.’
ii. The pseudo-science of craniometry.
iii. The eugenics movement and Nazism.
g. Concept of ‘race’ emerges when there are striking differences in
power, opportunity and wealth between ethnic groups, e.g. colonialism
and slavery.