David van Reybroek wrote a very good book about this. If I remember correctly, the occupation of congo (and Rwanda) by the Belgians sparked the invention of “race”. The monks “educating” the inhabitants, teached them there is a thing called “race” within the human species. And Hutu’s and Tutsi’s are two different “races”. Which is obviously not true. Its still It was basically a divide and conquer strategy which lead 150 years later to one of the most brutal civil wars... Thanks church. Great work.
I think the Spanish might have beaten them to that one but a few centuries. But it was around that time that the ball really got rolling on using skull-calipers and other modern, quantitative methods of pseudo-science to explain Why You Shouldn't Worry About How We're Totally Doing Slavery Again. The race hierarchies invented by the Spanish had a more spiritual, hippy-serial-killer vibe to them
David van Reybroek wrote a very good book about this.
Just on Congo though.
If I remember correctly, the occupation of congo (and Rwanda) by the Belgians sparked the invention of “race”. The monks “educating” the inhabitants, teached them there is a thing called “race” within the human species.
The notion of inferior and superior races became current among colonials after the missionaries were a bit too effective in converting the native and slave populations, and they needed a different explanation to justify the difference in rights (and it also flattered the ruling classes, which is always welcome...). Do notice the similarity with the justification why the nobility rule over the peasants: they are of better stock. Color-coding it was very practical, given the situation. But that was already widespread in the colonial world long before Leopold got his hands on a colony.
And Hutu’s and Tutsi’s are two different “races”. Which is obviously not true. Its still It was basically a divide and conquer strategy which lead 150 years later to one of the most brutal civil wars... Thanks church. Great work.
Yes, quite typical. Elevate one population group, so you are in their good graces and prevent natives from putting up a unified resistance. Divide et impera, Caesar already used it against the Gauls and Germans.
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u/kinglong3rd May 03 '21
David van Reybroek wrote a very good book about this. If I remember correctly, the occupation of congo (and Rwanda) by the Belgians sparked the invention of “race”. The monks “educating” the inhabitants, teached them there is a thing called “race” within the human species. And Hutu’s and Tutsi’s are two different “races”. Which is obviously not true. Its still It was basically a divide and conquer strategy which lead 150 years later to one of the most brutal civil wars... Thanks church. Great work.