ABSTRACT
Extremist socio-biological perspectives, such as ‘scientific racism’ which see ethnic hierarchies and loyalties as genetically based and cultural antagonism as the driving force of history, are not new (see Gould 1991). However, many intellectuals and politicians are now refashioning these views, attributing contemporary ethno-religious fundamentalism, racism and other manifestations of inter-group hostility to the strength of primordial sentiments. The primordial perspective assumes that blood ties and ascriptive identities such as religion and language inevitably claim the deepest of human attachments.
