"Race"—Still an Issue for Physical Anthropology? Results of Polish Studies Seen in the Light of the U.S. Findings

Abstract

The racial paradigm, which became rooted in physical anthropology at its very beginning, was, for decades, treated as a concept needing no verification. It was only in the mid-20th century that the first attempts were made to question the usefulness of the race concept in describing our species variation. Since then, an ever growing number of anthropologists, particularly in the United States, have rejected the concept (nearly seventy percent in 1999). In Poland, the situation is different-in the 2001 study, the race concept was rejected by only 25 percent; the remaining respondents differing widely as to the accepted meaning of race. Unlike the U.S. anthropologists, Polish anthropologists tend to regard race as a term without taxonomic value, often as a substitute for population. The discrepancy may stem from differences in the traditions of anthropological schools, the differing sociopolitical histories, education, semantics, and possible attitudinal factors. [

Current Views of European Anthropologists on Race: Influence of Educational and Ideological Background

“…Participants were asked two questions. The phrases were similar to those previously used in the U.S. and Polish studies (e.g., Lieberman et al 1989; Lieberman and Reynolds 1996; Kaszycka and Štrkalj 2002; Kaszycka and Strzałko 2003a, 2003b):…”

“…In addition, over the following few weeks, almost 300 additional persons (members of the European Anthropological Association) were asked to complete the questionnaire via e‐mail. The Polish members of the association were excluded from the third survey so as to avoid overrepresentation of anthropologists from a single country (Polish physical anthropologists had previously been comprehensively surveyed; see Kaszycka and Štrkalj 2002; Kaszycka and Strzałko 2003a, 2003b).…”

“…A number of surveys have been carried out to determine the status of the biological race concept among certain groups of scientists (Cartmill 1998; Kaszycka and Štrkalj 2002; Kaszycka and Strzałko 2003a, 2003b; Lieberman and Reynolds 1978, 1996; Lieberman et al 1983, 1989, 1992, 2003b; Littlefield et al 1982; Štrkalj et al 2004). It has been established that, among those anthropologists who have been most closely investigated, there is little agreement on the subject.…”

“…One might also expect generational differences in opinions on race where age of the respondents is revealed as a discriminating factor (e.g., Kaszycka and Strzałko 2003a, 2003b; Lieberman and Reynolds 1996). Finally, one may observe that the level of respondent conviction about the “objective” existence of human races can depend on the highest degree earned, institutional affiliation, or educational profile (see Kaszycka and Štrkalj 2002).…”

Race and Criminology in the Age of Genomic Science

“…The distaste for race appears to be confined to Western anthropologists, however. A study of Polish physical anthropologists found that 75 percent of them agreed that human races are a reality (Kaszycka and Strzalko, ). The concept also appears alive and well among Chinese anthropologists.…”