Class 1 – Fall 2016
Understanding the History of Race and Science
Focus Question
How did the concept of race originate, and does it have any scientific validity?
Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies did not segregate people according to physical differences. Social scientists have argued that race is a social construct without a biological basis that is rooted instead in the long history of racial inequalities.
Humans are diverse and can be categorized in many different ways. Yet commonly, people divide us into races based on skin color. Is this a useful way to organize human diversity? Is it ever helpful, or is it always harmful? Does it even have a scientific basis?
For centuries, scientists have been struggling to answer these questions. Their findings have ranged from claims of racial superiority to promises of racially tailored medical treatments to the claim that race does not even exist.
Join us as we explore the historic roots of these discussions in the videos below.
Moderator & Speakers
Morton Collection Workshop
Before each panel discussion, Museum staff will present a selection of skulls from the Samuel Morton Collection of Human Crania to investigate questions related to the class topic.
This class, Understanding the History of Race and Science, will present a selection of skulls illustrating the diversity of the Morton Collection itself. Morton classified humanity, and the skulls in his collection, into five major races: Caucasian, Mongolian, Malay, Aboriginal American, and Negro. The crania below are just a few from the hundreds of skulls from all over the world in the Morton Collection.
The Bengalee (No. 4) and French (No. 1847) would have been classified as “Caucasian.”
The Chinese (No. 56) would have been classified as “Mongolian.”
The Pacific Islander (No. 1839) and Javanese (No. 46) would have been classified as “Malay.”
The Peruvian (No. 11) and Mexican (No. 34) would have been classified as “Aboriginal American.”
The West African (No. 12) would have been classified as “Negro.”
Note that Morton’s racial terms do not straightforwardly map onto geography. Both subcontinental Indians and Western Europeans are classified as “Caucasian.” Both Sub-Saharan Africans and Aboriginal Australians are classified as “Negro.” “Malay” includes an eclectic mix of Southeast Asian and Polynesian people. Today, anthropologists reject the validity of these labels. The genetic histories of human populations show that humanity cannot be classified in Morton’s overly-simple scheme. Still, some of the terms that Morton used (like “Caucasian”) persist today.
LEARN MORE about the Samuel Morton Collection.
In accordance with the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), passed by Congress in 1990, and out of respect for the beliefs of Native Americans regarding the bodies of their ancestors, the Penn Museum does not display or present images of any human remains from Native American people.
Resources & Worksheets
To get the most out of your Public Classroom experience, follow along with our curated collection of resources and worksheets for each class.
Quiz Questions
Useful For: Before Class, During Class
Intended to help frame the panel discussion (also available in the class worksheet).
Class 1 Full Worksheets
Useful For:Before Class, During Class, After Class
Class outline, speaker bios, reading list, activities, & quiz questions
Reading Lists (Academic, Adult, Youth)
Useful For:Before Class, After Class
Suggested class readings for academic, adult, and youth audiences. (also available in the class worksheet)