Constructing Race The Science of Bodies and Cultures in American Anthropology

414 Pages·2014·7.47 MB·English

by  Tracy Teslow

ConstructingRace
ConstructingRacehelpsunravelthecomplicatedandintertwinedhis-
toryofraceandscienceintheUnitedStates.TracyTeslowexploreshow
physical anthropologists in the twentieth century struggled to under-
stand the complexity of human physical and cultural variation, and
howtheirtheoriesweredisseminatedtothepublicthroughart,museum
exhibitions,books,andpamphlets.Intheirattemptstoexplainthehis-
tory and nature of human peoples, anthropologists persistently saw
both race and culture as critical components. This is at odds with a
broadlyacceptedaccountthatsuggestsracialsciencewasfullyrejected
byscientistsandthepublicfollowingWorldWarII.Thisbookoffersa
corrective,showingthatbothraceandcultureinformedhowanthropol-
ogistsandthepublicunderstoodhumanvariationfrom1900through
the decades following the war. The book offers new insights into the
work of Franz Boas, Ruth Benedict, and Ashley Montagu, as well as
less well-known figures, including Harry Shapiro, Gene Weltfish, and
HenryField.
Tracy Teslow is Associate Professor of History at the University of
Cincinnati. She has received prestigious fellowships from the Center
fortheStudyofDiversityinScience,TechnologyandMedicineatMIT
andtheAndrewMellonFoundation.

Constructing Race
The Science of Bodies and Cultures in American
Anthropology
TRACY TESLOW
UniversityofCincinnati
32AvenueoftheAmericas,NewYork,ny10013-2473,usa
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107011731
(cid:2)C TracyTeslow2014
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2014
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Teslow,Tracy,1964–
Constructingrace:thescienceofbodiesandculturesinAmerican
anthropology/TracyTeslow.
pages cm
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-1-107-01173-1(hardback)
1.Physicalanthropology–UnitedStates–History–20thcentury. 2.Race–Social
aspects–UnitedStates–History–20thcentury. 3.Somatotypes–UnitedStates–
History–20thcentury. 4.Raceawareness–UnitedStates–History–20thcentury.
5.Racisminanthropology–UnitedStates–History–20thcentury. 6.Centuryof
ProgressInternationalExposition(1933–1934:Chicago,Ill.)–Exhibitions. I.Title.
gn50.45.u6t47 2014
305.80097309ʹ04–dc23 2013039525
isbn978-1-107-01173-1Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurls
forexternalorthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredtointhispublicationanddoesnot
guaranteethatanycontentonsuchWebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
Contents
Figures pagevii
Acknowledgments ix
1 Race,Anthropology,andtheAmericanPublic:An
IntroductoryEssay 1
2 FranzBoasandRace:History,Environment,Heredity 32
3 OrderforaDisorderedWorld:TheRacesofMankind
attheFieldMuseumofNaturalHistory 74
4 MountingtheRacesofMankind:AnthropologyandArt,
RaceandCulture 115
5 HarryShapiro’sBoasianRacialScience 168
6 RejectingRace,EmbracingMan?RuthBenedict’sRace
andCulture 228
7 AlternativestoRace?Ethnicity,Genetics,Biology 284
8 Conclusion 337
Bibliography 353
Index 385
v

Figures
3.1 ViewofRacesofMankindhall,FieldMuseumof
NaturalHistory(1933) page75
3.2 HenryFieldinSouthwestSinai,ca.1947 81
3.3 BertholdLauferinHankow,ca.1904 98
3.4 Caseofhandsandfeet,RacesofMankind,Field
MuseumofNaturalHistory(1933) 103
3.5 MalvinaHoffmanandArthurKeithatDownHouse,
England,1936 104
4.1 “Kashmiri”figure,RacesofMankind,FieldMuseum
ofNaturalHistory(1933) 117
4.2 PrakashNarainHaksar,Hoffman’s“Kashmiri”model 118
4.3 UndatedblueprintforRacesofMankind,FieldMuseum
ofNaturalHistory 127
4.4 “UnityofMankind,”RacesofMankind,FieldMuseum
ofNaturalHistory(1933) 128
4.5 StanleyFieldandMalvinaHoffman,Paris 135
4.6 “TamilClimber,”RacesofMankind,FieldMuseum
ofNaturalHistory(1933) 141
4.7 Malaysiancockfighters,RacesofMankind,Field
MuseumofNaturalHistory(1933) 142
4.8 Samoanman,RacesofMankind,FieldMuseumof
NaturalHistory(1933) 143
4.9 “Nordic”man,RacesofMankind,FieldMuseumof
NaturalHistory(1933) 144
4.10 IturiAfricanfamily,RacesofMankind,FieldMuseum
ofNaturalHistory(1933) 152
4.11 Nobosodru,“Mangbetu,”RacesofMankind,Field
MuseumofNaturalHistory(1933) 154
vii
viii Figures
4.12 MalvinaHoffman’s“elusiveAlpine”bust,Racesof
Mankind,FieldMuseumofNaturalHistory(1933) 158
5.1 HarryLionelShapiro,inFrenchPolynesia,1929 170
5.2 MapofPolynesiaandPitcairnIslandfromHarry
Shapiro’sPitcairnIslanders(1962) 198
5.3 PitcairnIslanders,picturedinHeritageoftheBounty
(1936) 200
6.1 RuthBenedict’sPatternsofCulture(1956) 234
6.2 “AllMankindIsOneFamily,”TheRacesofMankind,
CranbrookInstituteofScience 248
6.3 InHenry’sBackyard(1948) 250
6.4 “ThePeoplesoftheEarthAreOneFamily,”Ruth
BenedictandGeneWeltfish,TheRacesofMankind
(1943) 267
6.5 “OurFoodComesfromManyPeoples,”RuthBenedict
andGeneWeltfish,TheRacesofMankind(1943) 269
6.6 “TheFoodsWeCultivateAreaGiftfromAllPeoples,”
TheRacesofMankind,CranbrookInstituteofScience 270
6.7 “NoRaceIsMentallySuperior,”TheRacesofMankind,
CranbrookInstituteofScience 272
6.8 “CompositionoftheAmericanNegro,”TheRacesof
Mankind,CranbrookInstituteofScience 273
6.9 Henry’sGreenDevil,InHenry’sBackyard(1948) 280
6.10 Henryspeakingtohisneighborsfromhisstoop,In
Henry’sBackyard(1948) 281
7.1 Racialdivisionsandethnictypes,Introductionto
PhysicalAnthropology(1945) 298
7.2 VarietiesofmankindintheUnitedStates,Introduction
toPhysicalAnthropology(1945) 300
7.3 HarryShapiro,neurondisplay,TheBiologyofMan,
AmericanMuseumofNaturalHistory(1961) 326
7.4 “Transparentwoman,”TheBiologyofMan,American
MuseumofNaturalHistory(1961) 327
7.5 “ManAmongthePrimates,”TheNaturalHistoryof
Man,AmericanMuseumofNaturalHistory(1931) 330
7.6 Racialtypes,TheNaturalHistoryofMan,American
MuseumofNaturalHistory(ca.1931) 331
7.7 “HumanVariation”hall,TheBiologyofMan,American
MuseumofNaturalHistory(1974) 333
8.1 “MapofMankind,”C.S.HammondandCo.(1946) 340
8.2 Logo,Race:AreWeSoDifferent?,American
AnthropologicalAssociation(2007) 348
Acknowledgments
Thisbookhasbeenalongtimeinthemaking.Overthemanyyearsofits
gestation,firstasadissertation,andnowfinallyasamonograph,Ihave
incurred many debts to teachers and mentors, colleagues and archivists,
familyandfriends.Allalongtheway,Ialsohavebeenthegratefulrecipi-
entofgenerousinstitutionalsupportfrommyuniversitiesandfrominsti-
tutesandfoundationswithoutwhosesupportthelonelyhistorianwould
have a hard time researching and writing narratives of any meaning or
scope.IhavenodoubtIwillfailtorememberallwhodeservemysincere
thanks. I hope they will know who they are, and will know that I am
grateful for the many, many enlightening conversations, presentations,
seminars,andchanceencountersthathavemoldedtheformandcontent
ofmyideas.
The list of institutions that have supported this project is a long one,
anditbeginswiththeUniversityofChicago,whereIwrotethedisserta-
tion that became the foundation of this book. The vigorous intellectual
climate, the cross-disciplinary culture, and the brilliant faculty and stu-
dents I encountered there formed an ideal environment in which I was
encouraged to pursue questions down whatever avenue they led, and
challenged to think subtly and deeply. At Chicago my project was sup-
ported by the Morris Fishbein Center for the History of Science, as well
astheCenterfortheStudyofRace,PoliticsandCulture.Chiefamongthe
facultywhodeserveacknowledgmentaremydissertationadvisor,Robert
Richards,whoprovidedwisecounsel,intellectualguidance,andunfailing
good humor, and George Stocking, a member of my dissertation com-
mittee, but more importantly an intellectual model and mentor. Thanks
ix