The Perils of Race-Thinking: A Portrait of Ales HrdlicKa

Eugenics and scientific racism are experiencing a resurgence, and understanding Aleš Hrdlička's ideas can help combat them. This book explores Hrdlička's intellectual world, placing Czech nationalism at the center of his racial thinking. It dismantles his racial system and exposes it as mysticism dressed up in the language of science. Hrdlička believed that human individuals belonged "naturally" in racial groups and embraced a revolutionary program of reordering the globe according to a morality of "Darwinist" struggle.

Format: Hardback
Length: 228 pages
Publication date: 15 May 2023
Publisher: Central European University Press

Eugenics and scientific racism are experiencing a resurgence, and an understanding of the ideas of Aleš Hrdlička can help combat them. Today, the racial science of the early twentieth century is both untenable and contemptible. This book is about an arch figure of that period: Aleš Hrdlička served as Curator of Physical Anthropology at the prestigious Smithsonian Institution from 1910 to 1941. Although his ideas about race are today considered pseudoscience, the uncomfortable truth is that he was an internationally respected scientist in his own day.

The Perils of Race-Thinking advances a bold new interpretation of modern racial ideology by exploring Hrdlička's intellectual world. Using previously untapped Czech-language sources, Brandon irrevocably alters the discussion about this important figure by placing Czech nationalism at the center of his racial thinking. Defying disciplinary categories, The Perils of Race-Thinking joins critical analysis of this key American anthropologist with an incisive revisionist perspective of interwar Czechoslovakia to unearth transnational racial presumptions lurking behind the worst crimes of the twentieth century.

At the center of Hrdlička's race beliefs was his commitment to Czech and Slovak unity and independence. From this center, his next level of concern was what he believed to be a millennial racial struggle between Germans and Slavs. On a global scale, he viewed the Slavs, and especially the Soviet Union, as a eugenic bastion of White strength holding off the "rising tide of color."

Step by step, The Perils of Race-Thinking mercilessly dismantles Hrdlička's racial system and exposes it as mysticism dressed up in the language of science. Convinced that human individuals belonged "naturally" in racial groups, Hrdlička embraced a worldview that saw race as the primary determinant of human destiny. He believed that the Slavs, and especially the Soviet Union, were destined to rule the world and that the German race was on the verge of extinction.

Hrdlička's ideas were widely accepted in his day, and he played a significant role in shaping American racial ideology. However, his views have since been discredited as pseudoscience, and he is now regarded as a racist and a hatemonger. The Perils of Race-Thinking is a valuable contribution to the study of race and racism, and it provides a critical analysis of Hrdlička's ideas that challenges the prevailing narrative of his legacy.

In conclusion, the ideas of Aleš Hrdlička are a reminder of the dangers of race-thinking and the need to challenge and dismantle racial ideologies. His commitment to Czech nationalism and his belief in a millennial racial struggle between Germans and Slavs were deeply flawed and harmful. By exploring his intellectual world and exposing his racial system as mysticism dressed up in the language of science, The Perils of Race-Thinking provides a valuable contribution to the study of race and racism. It is a reminder that we must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to combat racism and promote equality and justice for all individuals, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

Weight: 479g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789633866122