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Year of Proof: The Making and Unmaking of Race

Presented by University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum) at University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum)

September 2, 2012-August 18, 2013

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Is there such a thing in humans called race?

Since the emergence of biology and anthropology, scientists began to develop categories for all living things on earth, including humans. But what can the categorization of humans tell us? And how might this information be helpful or harmful? Race is only one way of categorizing human variation. Penn Museum houses the notorious Morton Collection of skulls, originally collected to confirm 19th century society's beliefs about racial hierarchy. Understand how physician Samuel Morton, biologist Stephen Jay Gould, and anthropologist Janet Monge have used the collection from the 19th century to today, and what implications arose from their respective analyses. Explore the history of race in this “teaser” display, designed to complement a possible larger exhibition on the same topic. The Year of Proof: Making and Unmaking Race ties in with the University of Pennsylvania's 2013 themed, "Year of Proof."