What: The Royal Society of London
When:1660
Details: Although the Royal Society played a crucial role in the advancement of
science, it was also complicit in the racist ideologies of its time. The Society endorsed and supported scientific studies that promoted the idea of racial hierarchies and justified the enslavement and colonization of non-European peoples. Notable members, such as Hans Sloane, were involved in the Atlantic slave trade and conducted studies on the supposed inferiority of Black people.
Why and How It Was Racist: The Royal Society's endorsement of racial science provided intellectual legitimacy to racist ideologies and practices. By supporting and publishing pseudoscientific studies on race, the Society reinforced the belief in white superiority.
Sources: Govier, M. (1999). The Royal Society, slavery and the island of Jamaica: 1660-1700. Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, 53(2), 203-217.
Young, R. M. (1987). Racist society, racist science. Anti-racist science teaching, 16-42.
Comments