The natural history of the human species

Abstract

Theories of Polygenesis is the first set in the Concepts of Race in the Nineteenth Century series edited by Robert Bernasconi. The seven-volume collection brings together key works on the creationist theory of polygenesis. In the mid-19th century, American ethnological research was dominated by two polygenists, Samuel George Morton and Louis Agassiz. Their works on the subject are represented in this set, as are the major texts of the two most famous popularizers of polygenesis, Josiah Nott and George Gliddon. Charles Hamilton Smith's work, which was adopted by supporters of polygenesis in the United States, is included in its American edition, as is the translation of Arthur Gobineau's classic essay on the inequality of the human races by Henry Hotz, a work which Nott and Hotz doctored to bring into line with American polygenesis. This set is completed with a volume by John Bachman, an American opponent of Nott and Gliddon, and another by Alexander Winchell, a representative of the next generation of American polygenists. Historians of science, anthropology, American philosophy and evolution should find this collection valuable for understanding one of the key debates on race in the 19th century. During the 19th century complex and vibrant discussions among scientists on the subject of race fed the broader public with a variety of different concepts of race. Following on from the eight-volume set Concepts of Race in the Eighteenth Century (April 2001), Concepts of Race in the Nineteenth Century brings together the most important works which contributed to these controversial debates. Divided into themes, six sets collect a wealth of rare material by prominent scientists such as Paul Broca, Samuel George Morton, Josiah Clark Nott, George Robins Gliddon, Robert Knox, Louis Agassiz and Paul Topinard. By making accessible rare primary source materials many scholars will have their first chance to study for themselves texts like De l' galit des races humaines. Written by Ant nor Firmin, a Black author from Haiti, it is virtually inaccessible in its French original. The series contains more than forty titles and constitutes a resource for the examination of race in Western thought. Robert Bernasconi has written an introductory essay for each set with a brief essay on each work.

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