Lecture 6 - Human Variation, Race Flashcards
What was Carl Linnaeus’ contribution to anthropology?
He was the first to group human species with other primates. But… he divided humans into 4 varieties based on skin colour (European, American, Asian, and African).
What were the four varieties of humans identified by Linnaeus?
- Europaeus albus
- Americanus rubescens
- Asiaticus fuscus
- Africanus niger
What was Georges-Louis Leclerc’s contribution to race study?
He was the first to apply the term “race” to humans.
What concept did Johan Blumenbach contribute to racial classification?
Five races based on cranial form and skin color
He believed that Caucasians were the original form due to being the least changed over time.
Who is known as the Father of scientific racism?
Samuel Morton
He attempted to associate skull size with intellect and race.
Define eugenics.
Belief in innate differences between classes, and need to control reproduction of the “good traits.”
What was Wallace’s perspective on natural selection?
He suggested that natural selection might not be wholly accurate.
What did Haeckel propose about human evolution?
He proposed 12 different species of living peoples at different distances from apes, with white man the furthest from apes.
Did Darwin agree or disagree with this view?
He strongly disagreed with Haeckel, but allied him to discuss evolution.
What was Edward Tylor’s contribution to anthropology?
Separation of evolution and the study of culture.
- he said behavior and capabilities are gained from society, not biology
- all brains are equal
What was Franz Boas’ contributions to race concepts?
- did not believe craniometry is associated with race
- he says humans are very “plastic”
- culture influences behavior and morphology
What does the statement ‘There are no races only clines’ mean?
It emphasizes that human variation is continuous rather than categorical.
What did Richard Lewontin’s research reveal about genetic variation?
He found that most genetic variation was found WITHIN groups, and less between different groups.
What is the founder effect?
A type of genetic drift where a group of a population migrates and becomes isolated. They then evolve and adapt differently than their og pop.
Define polygenic traits.
Traits that are controlled by multiple genes.
