The Mongoloid Myth
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Description
Scholarly ideas and scientific hypotheses tend to become digested by society at large and
become part of popular lore. However, there is often a considerable time lag between the
dawning of scientific insights and their popular acceptance. Consequently, some ideas live
on in the popular imagination long after they have outlived their usefulness in scholarly
discourse. In this way, obsolete conceptual frameworks can determine the content of popular
discourse and shape political agendas and even societal developments. One such idea is the
myth of the Mongoloid race, which continues to play a role today in the psyche of many
people, especially in northeastern India. New insights from both historical linguistics and
population genetics enable us to dispel the Mongoloid myth and at the same time highlight
the importance of the Eastern Himalaya as a cradle of ethnogenesis in the primeval past.
become part of popular lore. However, there is often a considerable time lag between the
dawning of scientific insights and their popular acceptance. Consequently, some ideas live
on in the popular imagination long after they have outlived their usefulness in scholarly
discourse. In this way, obsolete conceptual frameworks can determine the content of popular
discourse and shape political agendas and even societal developments. One such idea is the
myth of the Mongoloid race, which continues to play a role today in the psyche of many
people, especially in northeastern India. New insights from both historical linguistics and
population genetics enable us to dispel the Mongoloid myth and at the same time highlight
the importance of the Eastern Himalaya as a cradle of ethnogenesis in the primeval past.
Date of Publication
2015
Publication Type
Article
Subject(s)
Language(s)
en
Contributor(s)
van Driem, George |
Series
Indian Journal of Physical Anthropology and Human Genetics
Publisher
Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society
ISSN
0378-8156
Access(Rights)
restricted