Race And Human Evolution: A Fatal Attraction - Couverture souple

Wolpoff, Milford; Caspari, Rachel

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0813335469 ISBN 13 : 9780813335469

Editeur : Basic Books, 1998

Synopsis

Where do humans come from? How did they evolve? How did different races come into existence? The quest for modern human origins has both fascinated and divided people for centuries. Theories of race and questions of whether humans can be categorized in different species have caused polarization and discord in the sciences throughout history, and theories currently in vogue may have as much to do with contemporary cultural politics as with science. Race and Human Evolution is a far-ranging account by leading researchers in the field that describes the latest scientific evidence and the conflicting theories about human evolution. Milford Wolpoff and Rachel Caspari describe the “Eve” or “Out-of-Africa” theory, which holds that all living people are the descendants of a single common ancestor (“Eve”) who began a new species of humanity in Africa some 200,000 years ago and whose progeny spread throughout the world, giving rise to the different human races. The authors show that the evidence of the fossil record and genetic data support “Multiregionalism,” which posits that for some two million years human populations have been entwined in a network of widespread peoples who evolved together because they met and interbred, giving the races today many ancestors, not a single common one. Race and Human Evolution shows how the debate over the “Eve” theory reflects a long history of theories about human origins and race that has been fraught with social and political implications. Race and human evolution have become tangled during some of the most important eras in our history: European colonizations, which sparked questions over the humanity of indigenous natives, and the slavery issue and whether Jefferson's claims of humanity and quality for all people applied to slaves. While Darwinism, the discovery of Neanderthals, and Mendel's genetic theories combined to give us modern paleoanthropology, the eugenics movement and even Nazism also sprang from these ideas.The debate now raging cannot free itself of this background. Certain to be controversial but also to illuminate an argument that has persisted for centuries and which persists in some of today's most inflammatory social and political issues, Race and Human Evolution provides an authoritative account of the science and the scientists behind the controversy over the origin of humanity and its racial differences.

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

Milford Wolpoff and Rachel Caspari are paleoanthropologists who traveled to London, Zagreb, Capetown, Canberra, and Beijing studying human fossil remains, developing the Multiregional framework to explain human evolution. Wolpoff received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and is professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan. He is the recipient of major grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences exchange program, and the University of Michigan. Caspari received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, where she now teaches and is a research scientist. She is also a consultant for the Cranbrook Institute of Science, and her researcgh hase been supported by the University of Michigan and the Care Foundation. Wolpoff and Caspari are married and live with their children in Chelsea, Michigan. Milford Wolpoff and Rachel Caspari are paleoanthropologists who traveled to London, Zagreb, Capetown, Canberra, and Beijing studying human fossil remains, developing the Multiregional framework to explain human evolution. Wolpoff received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and is professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan. He is the recipient of major grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences exchange program, and the University of Michigan. Caspari received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, where she now teaches and is a research scientist. She is also a consultant for the Cranbrook Institute of Science, and her researcgh hase been supported by the University of Michigan and the Care Foundation. Wolpoff and Caspari are married and live with their children in Chelsea, Michigan.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Basic Books
• Date d'édition: 1998
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0813335469
• ISBN 13: 9780813335469
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 464
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible