The Equality of the Human Races

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University of Illinois Press, 2002 - Social Science - 470 pages
"This is the first paperback edition of the only English-language translation of the Haitian scholar Antnor Firmin's The Equality of the Human Races, a foundational text in critical anthropology first published in 1885 when anthropology was just emerging as a specialized field of study. Marginalized for its ""radical"" position that the human races were equal, Firmin's lucid and persuasive treatise was decades ahead of its time. Arguing that the equality of the races could be demonstrated through a positivist scientific approach, Firmin challenged racist writings and the dominant views of the day. Translated by Asselin Charles and framed by Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban's substantial introduction, this rediscovered text is an important contribution to contemporary scholarship in anthropology, pan-African studies, and colonial and postcolonial studies."

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Contents

Anthropology as a Discipline
1
Early Classification Systems
15
Species in the Animal Kingdom
27
Monogenism and Polygenism
35
Criteria for Classifying the Human Races
87
Artificial Ranking of the Human Races
139
Comparison of the Human Races Based on Their Physical Constitution
173
Métissage and Equality of the Races
203
Intellectual Evolution of the Black Race in Haiti
295
Prejudices and Vanities
325
Comparisons
329
Evolutionary Pace of the Black Race
357
European Solidarity
379
The Role of the Black Race in the History of Civilization
393
Religious Myths and Words of the Ancients
405
Aptitudes and Organic Qualities
427

Egypt and Civilization
225
The Hindus and the Arya
257
General Perfectibility of the Human Races
269
Theories and their Logical Consequences
437
Conclusion
443
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About the author (2002)

Anténor Firmin (1850-1911) was born and educated in Haiti. He studied law and held several political offices before being posted as a diplomat to Paris, where he was admitted to the Societé d'Anthropologie de Paris and wrote De L'Égalité des Races Humaines. He later returned to Haiti and served as minister of finance, commerce, and foreign relations. Asselin Charles teaches literature and journalism at Wenzao College of Languages in Taiwan. Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban is a professor of anthropology and the director of general education at Rhode Island College.

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