Atenor Firmin's the Equality of the Human Races, Written 1883-1885, Published in French in 1885, Translated into English in 2000 and Published in English in 2002: Its Importance and Why Ignored
8 Pages Posted: 16 Jan 2016
Date Written: January 14, 2016
Abstract
Atenor Firmin wrote a critique of racist views of humanity in 1885. Firmin, a Haitian, had been living in France and was exposed to the racist views of non-human peoples that were popular at the time. These ideas defended colonialism and relegated non-Europeans to an inferior status, if not to a separate race or species. Firmin's book demolished the assumptions and arguments of respected biologists like Broca in a step by step analysis. His book reads as if it were written today as a clear refutation of the Supremist position, yet his book was ignored until the present.
Keywords: Atenor Firmin; Racism; Supremist Theory; Colonialism
JEL Classification: B31; J71;O15
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation