Phrenology was long ago added to the junk heap of discredited theories. But in the 200 years since the Edinburgh Phrenological Society turned this pseudoscientific method to study the skulls of black Africans, Indians and white Europeans, scientific racism has continued to re-emerge in different guises.
In the 19th century, as scientists were intent on classifying the natural world into taxonomic categories, some of Edinburgh’s most celebrated intellectuals argued that different human races were so distinct that they ought to be considered separate species. The University of Edinburgh report on its legacy of links to slavery and colonialism notes that non-white populations were invariably depicted as inherently inferior, offering a convenient justification for colonialism.
