In search of the Nordic man
In search of the Nordic man
Thomas Etzemüller
In Search of the Nordic Man
German racial anthropology in the modern world
294 p., paperback, numerous illustrations, € 29.99
ISBN: 978-3-8376-3183-8 (Bielefeld: transcript, 2015)
In the 19th century, industrialisation unleashed fears of the biological and social disintegration of modern societies, which did not stop at science. Until the 1980s, racial biology attempted to determine genetic differences between races and social classes through elaborate anthropological measurements. The aim was to restore a supposedly "natural" social order that was able to protect the middle class against "inferior" races and social classes. Racial anthropology is an ideal example of how a world view could be objectified using scientific methods.