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Re: Rushton
wilkr (wilkr@INDIANA.EDU)
Wed, 19 Oct 1994 10:12:50 -0500
On race - I strongly recommend the latest issue of "Discover" magazine
for sensetive and complex discussion of issues. One paper reports that
"about" 50% of physical anthropologists find no scientific use for the
term "race." Jared Diamond's article is especially strong, arguing that
the genetic data, fed into numerical taxonomy programs, lumps together
ALL non-Africans with some Africans, and distinguishes several taxonomic
groups within Africa that have higher taxonomic status than any of the
differences between non-Africans. In other words, if you are looking for
races, there are three or four African groups, then one other that
includes some Africans and everyone else.
Loring Brace does a wonderful job explaining why race emerged in the age
of discovery. People went from overland travel, where you find people
changing gradually in appearance along clines, to ship travel, where you
suddenly encounter someone who looks very different!
Richard Wilk Anthropology Dept.
812-855-8162 (voice) Indiana University
812-855-4358 (fax) Bloomington, IN 47405
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