New Book Explores History of Racism In America

Newswise — The origins and development of racism in North America are traced in a new book by St. Lawrence University Emeritus Professor of Anthropology Richard J. Perry.

"'Race' and Racism: The Development of Modern Racism in America" was recently published by Palgrave Macmillan. The book explores the diverse ways in which people in a variety of cultures have perceived, categorized and defined one another without reference to any concept of "race." It follows the history of American racism through slavery; the perceptions and treatment of Native Americans; Jim Crow laws; attitudes toward Irish and Southern European immigrants; the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; the civil rights era; and other topics.

In the book, Perry examines the inception and persistence of the concept of "race," and discusses the biology of human variance, addressing the fossil record of human evolution. Also explored are the relationship between creationism and science; population genetics; and "race-based" medicine.

University of Michigan Professor of Anthropology C. Loring Brace, curator of biological anthropology at the University of Michigan's Museum of Anthropology, says of "'Race' and Racism," "Perry clearly understands that 'race' has no scientific basis, and his treatment of racism throughout is admirable. While this book is bound to ruffle some feathers, that is, in fact, a good thing. There are many innovative points made not readily available in other published works, and this is such an important subject that scholars will find this an invaluable resource."

Perry retired from St. Lawrence, in Canton, New York, in 2004, after being on the faculty since 1971. He earned a B.A. in anthropology at Harvard and his M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology at Syracuse University. Perry has done field work on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona and co-directed the St. Lawrence University Kenya Semester program. He is the author of four other books, "Western Apache Heritage"; "Apache Reservation"; "From Time Immemorial: Indigenous Peoples and State Systems"; and "Five Key Concepts in Anthropological Thinking."