Polnat07(3)

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM

7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Three broad issues:•Nature of race•Racism and racist

mobilisation•Race, racism and nationalism

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Difficulty of definition:“Short story of the Irish race”,

Irish Race ConventionReferences to “British race”Terminology in certain

languages (Chinese, Malay):race = nation

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Research into race, 19th century:Exploration of variations in skin colour, colour and shape of eye, hair type, shape of nose, height, “cephalic index” (ratio of breadth of skull to height of skull)Pursued in two directions:•Biology, physical anthropology•“Race science”

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Skull types(Ripley, 1899)

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

Skin colour(Ripley, 1899)

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Conclusions of physical anthropologists, biologists:

•Big variation in distribution of physical characteristics, geographical clustering; but populations everywhere are mixed•Classification does not imply ranking•Phenomenon of clustering and mixing confirmed by analysis of blood types (A, B, AB, O)•Phenomenon of clustering and mixing also confirmed by research in genetics

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Racist approaches:Based on notion that races are not just

different, but unequal, and may be rankedRests on work of Compte de Gobineau (1853-

5), Houston Chamberlain (1899) and othersHierarchy places whites (Aryans) at top of

rankingLater, Teutons placed at top of Aryan rankingParticular contempt for Jewish people

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Paolo Mantegazza,“Morphological tree of

the human race”(1883)

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Function of racist approaches:• Legitimate imperial intervention in Africa,

Asia• Justify position of dominant group within a

particular society (Whites in southern USA, English in UK)

• Provide cover for attacks on specific groups, e.g. Jews

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Kipling, “White man’s burden” (1899):Take up the White Man’s burden—Send forth the best ye breed—Go bind your sons to exileTo serve your captives’ need;To wait in heavy harnessOn fluttered folk and wild—Your new-caught, sullen peoples,Half-devil and half-child

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Domestic uses of racism:• Anti-Irish stereotypes in USA, UK• Anti-Jewish stereotypes and policies in Nazi

Germany• Post-war racism in other contexts (e.g.

South Africa)

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Less visible racial-type thinking:• Group names (Lapp, Negro, Tinker v.

Saami, Black/African American, Traveller)• Specific forms of terminology (mulatto,

quadroon, octoroon) implying racial measurement

• Ethnic jokes (Irish, Polish, Belgians, Norwegians)

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

RACE

Race and nationalism:three patterns of relationship?

• Racism and nationalism as different forces?• Racism as a development of nationalism?• Race as an ingredient in nationalism?(plausible case for any of three; clearly has

potential to be ingredient in nationalism in certain cases, reinforcing cultural distinctiveness)