1. POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND
NATIONALISM
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

2. RACE
Three broad issues:
• Nature of race
• Racism and racist mobilisation
• Race, racism and nationalism
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

3. RACE
Difficulty of definition:
“Short story of the Irish race”,
Irish Race Convention
References to “British race”
Terminology in certain
languages (Chinese, Malay):
race = nation
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

4. 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 NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

5. RACE
Skull types
(Ripley, 1899)
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

6. Skin colour
(Ripley, 1899)
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

7. 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 NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

8. RACE
Racist approaches:
Based on notion that races are not just
different, but unequal, and may be ranked
Rests on work of Compte de Gobineau (18535), Houston Chamberlain (1899) and others
Hierarchy places whites (Aryans) at top of
ranking
Later, Teutons placed at top of Aryan ranking
Particular contempt for Jewish people
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

9. RACE
Paolo Mantegazza,
“Morphological tree of
the human race”
(1883)
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

10. 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 NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

11. 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 exile
To serve your captives’ need;
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild—
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

12. 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 NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

13. RACE
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

14. RACE
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

15. 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 NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM

16. 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)
POLITICS OF NATIONALISM
7. RACE, GENDER AND NATIONALISM