Superior: The Return of Race Science

In the grand halls of one of the world's most famous museums, surrounded by artifacts from every corner of the globe, we confront the complex legacy of empire and race science. This museum, with its towering neoclassical columns and vast collections, is not merely a repository of human history—it is a monument to imperial ambition and the narratives crafted to justify it. The treasures displayed, from the giant busts of distant ancestors to the intricately carved serpents of ancient civilizations, were brought here not just for preservation but as symbols of conquest and control.

Consider the story of a single artifact: the Rosetta Stone. Discovered by a French expedition in Egypt, it was swiftly seized by the British army and transported to London, where it remains to this day. This act of cultural appropriation exemplifies the broader pattern of imperial powers claiming ownership over the histories of colonized peoples. The stone's inscriptions, which unlocked the secrets of Egyptian hieroglyphs, now serve as a metaphor for how knowledge itself was captured and reframed through a colonial lens.

Amidst these grand narratives, the notion of race took shape. In the late eighteenth century, a German doctor named Johann Friedrich Blumenbach proposed a classification system dividing humanity into five varieties, including the now-familiar term 'Caucasian,' which encompassed Europeans, North Africans, and South Asians alike. This categorization was less a scientific discovery than a reflection of the political and social contexts of the time, embedding racial difference into the fabric of scientific thought and, by extension, society.

But these categories were arbitrary, drawn as much from prejudice and power as from observation. The idea that physical traits like skin color or skull shape could determine intellectual or moral worth became a dangerous and enduring myth. It justified centuries of exploitation, slavery, and cultural erasure, cloaked in the authority of science.

As we reflect on this history, we must remember that the stories museums tell are not neutral. They are shaped by those who hold power, by the victors who write history. Understanding the origins of race science within this imperial context is crucial to unraveling the myths that persist today.

From here, we turn to the twentieth century, where these ideas about race were transformed into policies and ideologies with devastating consequences. The journey continues.