Description:
Not until the early nineteenth century would polygenetic and racialist theories win many adherents. But by the middle of the nineteenth century in England, racial categories were imposed upon humanity. How the idea of 'race' gained popularity in England at that time is the central focus of The Victorian Reinvention of Race: New Racisms and the Problem of Grouping in the Human Sciences.
Review Quotes:
'Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.' - Choice
'Edward Beasley has written a compact, no-nonsense, and smart overview of the idea of "race" in Victorian England' - Vincent P. Pecora (University of Utah), The American Historical Review'Beasley's basic position is that there is no such thing as species. Like races, any historical accounts of species were either bad science, or, worse, mischievous attempts to suborn science in such a way as to reinforce prejudices against groups of people who color and/or economic position had made them vulnerable.' - Mark Francis (University of Canterbury)