Typology (anthropology)
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Typology in anthropology is the division of culture by races. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, anthropologists used a typological model to divide people from different cultures into "races," (e.g. negroid, caucasoid, mongoloid which were part of the racial system defined by Carleton S. Coon). This approach focused on a small number of traits that are readily observable from a distance such as skin color, hair form, body build, and stature.
The typological model was built on the assumption that humans can be assigned to a race based on some small number of traits. This assumption has proven false over time, and the typological model in anthropology is now thoroughly discredited.[1] Current mainstream thinking is that the morphological traits that those who cling to the typological model use are due to simple variations in specific regions, and are the effect of climatic selective pressures. Those who claim typological models are scientific are criticized as anecdotal and unsupported by credible scientific evidence.[3] This debate is covered in more detail in the article on race.
[edit] References
- Brown, Ryan A and Armelagos, George, "Apportionment of Racial Diversity: A Review" Evolutionary Anthropology 10:34–40 2001 [4]
