ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the European origins and development of thinking about race. Racial thinking (or racial discourse) encompasses both the terminology of race and color and the science, politics, and philosophy underlying racial categories. Both Northwestern and Southern Europe have played critical roles in this history. The book presents a new thesis to explain the history of race in Europe in five patterns of race relations, which emerged slowly over time, and became deeply ingrained in European racial thinking. It argues that paternalism, infantilization, and their impact must be examined in the European history of race and racism. The liberation of Europe from Nazi anti-Semitism brought hope for liberation movements in Europe and in Europe’s colonial empires. The book addresses the history of human shows and racial science in Europe.
