Item number 376 - Original Query
Date: 28 Nov 1994

CALL FOR PROPOSALS--Constructing Race: Differentiating Peoples in the Early Modern World, 1400-1700. The Institute of Early American History and Culture will hold a working seminar in spring 1996 on the construction of race and racism in Europe and the Americas, 1400-1700. Scholars in European, African, Latin American, and North American history, anthropology, literature, cultural studies, and related disciplines are invited to submit proposals describing the substance of their subject. Papers expanding these proposals and presented at the seminar may be published in the _William and Mary Quarterly_. Deadline for proposals is October 1, 1995. For full information contact Michael McGiffert, editor, at the Institute, P.O. Box 8781, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8781. Tel.: 804-221-1125. Fax: 804-221-1047. E-mail: mcgiff@mail.wm.edu.

John Saillant
SAILLANT@BROWNVM.brown.edu

Item number 469 - Reply #1
Date: 8 Jan 1995

A colleague and I who are team-teaching a world history course for the first time, are trying to put together a lecture on the ways in which what later were taken to be markers of "race" (e.g. skin color) were and were not treated as indicators of community boundaries in various times and places. An obvious place to talk about in this context would be the Mediterranean excpet hat neither of us knows anything about it before about 1250. Can anyone sugggest readings (for us, not the students) that might help?

Ken Pomeranz
U.C. Irvine

Item number 470 - Reply #2
Date: 8 Jan 1995

In response to Ken Pomeranz's request for references on the construction of modern racial categories and color distinctions, let me suggest the following:

(1) For the Meditterranean prior to 1500, see *Before Color Prejudice: The Ancient View of Blacks* by Frank Snowden (1983, Harvard). Additional information can be gleaned from the appropriate volumes of the multivolume series *The Image of the Black in Western Art*. (Visual media, such as paintings, privilege 'color,' and so provide information even when written sources are not attentive to color distinctions.)

(2) Important attempts to theorize the historical construction of modern color distinctions can be found in: T. Allen's *The Invention of the White Race* and B. Field's "Ideology and Race in American History" in J. Kousser and J. McPherson (eds.) Region, Race and Reconstruction*.

Dan Segal
Pitzer College
dsegal@bernard.pitzer.edu

Item Number 471 - Reply #3
Date: 10 Jan 1995

To Ken Pomeranz: (a) what is your own e-mail address? and apologies if this reply is not of interest to other subscribers.

Bernard Lewis's two-volume collection of translations from Islamic sources contains some interesting short primary sources, one being from the perspective of the slave trade -- these may be of more value to your students ultimately, but you may find them of interest as well.

Moderator's note:
Address for Ken Pomeranz is <kpomeran@benfranklin.hnet.uci.edu>

Elizabeth Frierson
Princeton University
elizf@Princeton.edu

Item number 473 - Reply #4
Date: 12 Jan 1995

By coincidence, shortly after reading Ken Pomeranz's query on the histories of color distinctions, I was rereading Eric Wolf's *Europe and the People Without History*. There, I came across this brief passage: "Chinese sources mention slaves from Zenj (Black Africa) as early as the seventh century, and by 1119 most of the wealthy people of Canton were said to have possessed Black slaves..." (42). Since I know that Ken Pomeranz is a China specialist, I thought I would turn the question back to him (and other China scholars on H-WORLD) and ask what we know about what "color" distinctions might have meant in 7th and 12th century China.

Daniel A. Segal
Pitzer College
dsegal@bernard.pitzer.edu

Item number 474 - Reply #5
Date: 12 Jan 1995

Around the time of the publication of the *National Standards* by the National Center for History in the Schools at U.C.L.A., there was a discussion of them on H-WORLD and elsewhere. It is both understandable and unfortunate that the H-WORLD discussion primarily focussed on the radical conservative attack on the *Standards* by Lynne Cheney and others.

I have now had the chance to read the "World History" report (geared to grades 5- 12), and I am struck by how cautious the report is in moving toward a robustly global and cross-cultural view of history. There is certainly a great deal to admire in the report, and as a parent, I would much prefer that my children be taught what the report suggests than what I was taught in school. Moreover, the report deserves credit for encouraging further discussion and my comments, though critical, are presented in that spirit.

Rather than write an overly-long post that fully reviews the report, I thought it would be more fruitful for H-WORLD, if I contributed--over a number of days--a series of short posts each of which focussed on one point of concern for me.

I will begin with a point that converges with Ken Pomeranz's recent post on the histories of the construction of modern race categories. As far as I can tell, the *National Standards* for World History at no point recognizes that this is an important aspect of modern world history. Moreover, the report appears to be written as if modern identities (of race, nationality and ethnicity) have always been present. It thus accords modern identities an objective status, and does not historicize them. By contrast, I would argue that it is important for us as historians to demonstrate to students that modern identities--be they nationalities, racial identities or ethnic identities--are not objective and essential givens, but have histories, and *thus could be altered*. In short, it is important that we teach students that the identities and distinctions of our world are not inevitable, timeless and fixed.

In sum, if I were to suggest an additional "standard," it would be that students develop the critical thinking skill of seeing "race," "ethnic" and "national identities" as historical products. And I would further propose that we attempt to achieve this additional standard by teaching students the histories of various modern identities--such as the histories of the category of "European" or "Black" or "French" or "Trinidadian" or "Han." Etc.

Daniel A. Segal
Pitzer College
dsegal@bernard.pitzer.edu

Item number 475 - Reply #6
Date: 13 Jan 1995

Try Frank Snowden's Blacks in Antiquity for the early period.

Kathleen Alaimo
ALAIMO@vaxd.sxu.edu
Saint Xavier University

Item number 477 - Reply #7
Date: 13 Jan 1995

Would you please post Eric Wolf's citation supporting his assertion that "Black slaves" were held in China "as early as the seventh century" through the twelfth century? Thank you.

Marie Guarino
Connecticut State University
GUARINO@CCSUA.CTSTATEU.edu

Item number 480 - Reply #8
Date: 14 Jan 1995

Re Wolf's reference to African slaves in China as early as the 7th century: would a historian of China please send me in the direction of appropriate sources/information on such.

Pier M. Larson
Penn State University
PML9@psuvm.psu.edu

Item number 493 - Reply #9
Date: 21 Jan 1995

Sorry about the delayed reaction but I've been behind in my mail. In more of an addendum to Dan Segal's posting than in response to Ken Pomeranz, since Frank Snowden's work is pretty much all I know of too for the pre-modern Mediterranean, I also found the following helpful in reconstructing the history of modern race categories:

Michael Banton, *Racial Theories* (1987) He's a sociologist but the first third of the book or so is historical, touching on 16th and 17th century thought very briefly, then doing quite a bit with the 18th and 19th centuries, lots of information in 50 pa ges or so.

Another good read in the general subject area is Stephen Jay Gould, *The Mismeasure of Man* (1981) which deals expressly with the history of intelligence as a concept as associated either with race or gender. He's mostly addressing scientists, about ho w cultural assumptions affect research results, but in the process says a lot about how racial theorists thought and worked.

I am looking forward to hearing about results from the conference in Williamsburg next October, "Constructing Race ... 1400-1700," the existence of which was posted on this list some time back. I hope someone will post the program, too, when known, or at least let us know where we can download it or gopher to it.

Dr. Rhiman A. Rotz, Associate Professor of History Indiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana 46408, USA Phone: (219) 980-6973
E-mail: rrotz@iunhaw1.iun.indiana.edu

Item number 513 - Reply #10
Date: 25 Jan 1995

Someone asked for a re-posting of the notice on a conference I mentioned in my last post. Having waited a decent interval and seen none, I take the responsibility. Here's the post as I copied it:

Call for Proposals
"Constructing Race: Differentiating Peoples in the Early Modern World, 1400-1700"

The Institute of Early american History and Culture will hold a working seminar in spring 1996 on the construction of race and racism in Europe and the Americas, 1400-1700.

Scholars in european, African, Latin American and North American history, anthropology, literature, cultural studies, and related disciplines are invited to submit proposals describing the substance of their subject. Papers expanding these proposals and presented at the seminar may be published in the *William and Mary Quarterly*.

Deadline for proposals is October 1, 1995. For full information contact Michael McGiffert, editor, at the Institute, P.O. Box 8781, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187, (804) 221-1125. Fax: (804) 221-1047. E-mail: mcgiff@mail.wm.edu

Dr. Rhiman A. Rotz, Associate Professor of History Indiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana 46408, USA Phone: (219) 980-6973
E-mail: rrotz@iunhaw1.iun.indiana.edu

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