Colonial credibility drew on Lamarckian acquired character rather than biological race

Evidence

Not least important to the credibility of these accounts were shared beliefs about the psychological and physical vulnerabilities of whites in the tropics. These were beliefs that called more on Lamarckian notions of acquired character than on the biological surety of race. Europeans were susceptible to cultural and moral contamination by those degraded whites within their midst and by those they were there to manage and rule. — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 1043

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes a Lamarckian contamination model of race from a purely biological one in colonial discourse.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 1043
• XREF: connects to: Colonial race epistemology merged physical traits with moral character assessments; Colonial race was judged by conduct and affiliation rather than appearance; Colonial ethnic labels measured threat level rather than actual ethnicity — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 1100 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Colonial race was judged by conduct and affiliation rather than appearance #corroborates (0.80)
• Colonial ethnic labels measured threat level rather than actual ethnicity #corroborates (0.65) — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 1100
• Colonial racial thinking dehumanized Africans as they assimilated colonial culture #contradicts (0.60)
• Colonial policy disputes centered on how race should be assessed, not what race is #corroborates (0.60)