Part 6/10:
However, subsequent thinkers, notably Georges QVA (presumably a reference to racially motivated thinkers like those from the eugenics movement), took Blumenbach’s categories and constructed hierarchies placing white Europeans at the top and Black people at the bottom—laying the groundwork for racial prejudice and systemic racism.
The Misinterpretation and Misuse of Racial Theory
Interestingly, Blumenbach himself did not intend his classifications to become basis for racial stratification. His work was more akin to classifying plants—an organizational tool rather than a hierarchy. His belief in human equality remains a stark contrast to how such classifications later fueled racist ideologies.