Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree (equivalent to a Swedish kandidatexamen) from an internationally recognised university

Learning outcomes

Having finished the course the student is expected to be able to

• account for and reflect upon the historical development of scientific racism in relation to the more general developments of science and racism;
• account for and analyse the knowledge production of central actors in the history of scientific racism;
• apply key analytical concepts from the fields of racism studies and the history of science in order to analyse the historical development of scientific racism;
• draw upon empirical materials and historical scholarship in order to analyse and reflect upon the relationship between ideas and practices in the history of scientific racism.

Content

The course examines the historical development of scientific racism from the 18th century to the first half of the 20th century. The overarching purpose is to investigate how the ideas and practices of scientific racism have been constructed and developed over time, both in relation to the more general history of science, and to other processes of profound importance to the history of scientific racism, including colonialism and imperialism, the institutionalisation and abolishment of slavery, secularisation and the enlightenment, nationalism and democratisation.

The expression "scientific racism" is not limited, in this context, to race biology, but is used to denote attempts at applying scientific methods to divide humankind into distinct groups, and to decide the characteristics of those groups and their relationships to one another. The course is chronologically and thematically organised into a series of modules, which range from the emergence of the concept of race within 18th-century natural history, to the enactment of race in early 20th-century genetics and eugenics. Particular emphasis is afforded to the early history of scientific racism, the religious legacy, and the interplay between different fields of enquiry, including natural history and biology, anthropology, archaeology, and philology. The reading and analysis of primary sources is a central feature of the course.

Instruction

The course consists of compulsory lectures and seminars. The language of instruction is English.

Assessment

Student achievements are assessed by way of written assignments and by active participation in the seminars.