Late-nineteenth-century racial theory was nearly undisputed in European culture

Evidence

By the nineteenth century, however, this Enlightenment universalism was rapidly being replaced by an emphasis on differences between people and civilizations. Europe developed what Etienne Balibar calls an “imperialist superiority complex.” — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 119 (#expands, via linked claim)

I said just above that South Africa has a racist structure. Now I shall go farther and say that Europe has a racist structure. It is plain to see that M. Mannoni has no interest in this problem, for he says, “France is unquestionably one of the least racialist-minded countries in the world.” Be glad that you are French, my fine Negro friends, even if it is a little hard, for your counterparts in America are much worse off than you… . France is a racist country, for the myth of the bad nigger is part of the collective unconscious. — Frantz Fanon, Constance Farrington, Black skin, white masks, 338 (#expands, via linked claim)

What you see taking shape here will be just as important in the early nineteenth century: the French Revolution—and the political and social struggles that went on during it—are being reinterpreted in terms of the history of races. — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 6955 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The French Revolution was reinterpreted through a history-of-races lens early in the nineteenth century — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 6955; Nineteenth-century Europe traded Enlightenment universalism for imperialist superiority — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 119; Racism is a structural feature of European civilization, not the exception of colonial adventurers — Frantz Fanon, Constance Farrington, Black skin, white masks, 338

Related

• Europe itself, not only its colonies, has a racist structure. (similarity 0.86)
• The French Revolution was reinterpreted through a history-of-races lens early in the nineteenth century (similarity 0.86)
• Racial distinctions operate as active structuring principles, not mere historical residues (similarity 0.86)
• Race replaced medieval citizenship as the principle of European social order. (similarity 0.85)
• Imperialism would have invented racism even without prior race-thinking (similarity 0.85)
• Racism is a structural feature of European civilization, not the exception of colonial adventurers (similarity 0.85)
• Europeans’ racist treatment of Asians marked the real debut of the crime (similarity 0.85)
• Racism originated in internal relations among European peoples, not colonial contacts (similarity 0.84)
• England built its history on racial duality while France long asserted national homogeneity (similarity 0.84)
• European racial hierarchy is ancient, predating modern slavery (similarity 0.83)
• Europeans hold a fixed, condescending concept of the Negro (similarity 0.82)
• Europeans project their repressed evil onto the racialized Other (similarity 0.82)
• European race prejudice would persist even if blacks lived in metropolitan France (similarity 0.81)
• European racialism justified colonial expansion and rule (similarity 0.81)
• Nobility’s conquest doctrine split France into two peoples before race-thinking emerged (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Nineteenth-century Europe traded Enlightenment universalism for imperialist superiority #expands (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 119
• Racism is a structural feature of European civilization, not the exception of colonial adventurers #expands (0.75) — Frantz Fanon, Constance Farrington, Black skin, white masks, 338
• The French Revolution was reinterpreted through a history-of-races lens early in the nineteenth century #corroborates (0.72) — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 6955