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Normalization and the Welfare State

Normalization and the Welfare State Ladelle McWhorter In R acism a n d s ex ual Opp R essi On i n a ngl O-a me R ic a , I argued that as race was absorbed into biolog y in the nineteenth centur y, it was recast from a morphological typology to a function of physiological and evolutionary devel- opment (McWhorter 2009b). Racial difference became a sign of developmental difference. Racial groups represented stages of human evolution, and raced individuals were to be disciplined and managed in accordance with develop- mental norms. Twentieth-century race was therefore a category and tool of normalization; to be raced was to be located at a particular point along a developmental curve. Some races were thought to be more or less arrested in their development, while others were merely retarded, and theorists disagreed at times about which were which. But they all agreed that the most highly developed race was the Nordic or the Anglo-Saxon. Anglo-Saxons were the norm for modern human beings— anatomically, physiologically, intellectually, and morally. There were other white races whose status was debated (Mediterraneans and Ashkenazi Jews, for example), and there were disputes over the evolutionary status of Chinese, Hindus, and Mexicans. But most http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png philoSOPHIA State University of New York Press

Normalization and the Welfare State

McWhorter, Ladelle,
philoSOPHIA , Volume 2 (1) – Oct 2, 2012
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State University of New York Press
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Copyright © State University of New York Press
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2155-0905

Abstract

Ladelle McWhorter In R acism a n d s ex ual Opp R essi On i n a ngl O-a me R ic a , I argued that as race was absorbed into biolog y in the nineteenth centur y, it was recast from a morphological typology to a function of physiological and evolutionary devel- opment (McWhorter 2009b). Racial difference became a sign of developmental difference. Racial groups represented stages of human evolution, and raced individuals were to be disciplined and managed in accordance with develop- mental norms. Twentieth-century race was therefore a category and tool of normalization; to be raced was to be located at a particular point along a developmental curve. Some races were thought to be more or less arrested in their development, while others were merely retarded, and theorists disagreed at times about which were which. But they all agreed that the most highly developed race was the Nordic or the Anglo-Saxon. Anglo-Saxons were the norm for modern human beings— anatomically, physiologically, intellectually, and morally. There were other white races whose status was debated (Mediterraneans and Ashkenazi Jews, for example), and there were disputes over the evolutionary status of Chinese, Hindus, and Mexicans. But most

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philoSOPHIA – State University of New York Press

Published: Oct 2, 2012

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