Jews and Pseudo-Anthropology

Derik Arthur Kane & Jessica M. Masciello

When anthropology emerged as a science in the midto late 1800s, it was almost immediately corrupted by the biases of some of the individuals who pioneered it. The politics in Europe at the time had shifted heavily toward anti-Semitism. Because anthropology was a fledgling science, it was easy for these prejudices to infiltrate because there were no scientific precedents to refute them. Initial scientific classifications of the human species were ridden with racism as well as social and religious biases. Presented as scientific fact, these prejudices became established in the ideology of European society. While there were anthropologists trying desperately to refute these racist notions, they found themselves deprived of support and funding because they did not share the views of those in power. Although many scientists in the field of anthropology were of Jewish decent, few of them spoke out for fear of being further repressed. Many of the ...

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