What problematic assumptions does Boas see in studies of race-types?

What problematic assumptions does Boas see in studies of race-types?.

In 1911, Franz Boas published a book titled "The Instability of Human Types," in which he argued that people did not differ in racial makeup, but exhibited differences based on culture. Many of his students embraced his view, including anthropologist Margaret Mead and writer Zora Neale Hurston.

In 1911, Boas wrote a book called Race, Language, and Culture, which argues that race-types are not permanently stable. While the majority of researchers believed that anatomical characteristics of the human race are fixed, Boas believed that they are not. Despite this fact, he noted that race-type studies were problematic because of their reliance on a theory of evolution.

According to Boas, the differences in human forms and behaviors between races were the result of environment and hereditary factors. Consequently, human form and behavior were shaped by environmental factors, not genetics. In the end, Boas's views of race-types became widespread and as dogmatic as their racist counterparts. So, how can we counter their harmful assumptions about humans?

In the 1960s, many scientists began questioning Boas's racism and white supremacy. The problem was that people were naturally different from one another. In his own view, people came from all walks of life, and all their development ultimately led to the white America that we have today. However, these ideas were questioned when the migrant population of India was excluded.

Visit More!