Overview

This book presents a critical and comparative history of how human populations have been socially constructed and categorized through racializing processes. Building on Renato Foschi’s Italian volume Storia dei razzismi (2022), this expanded English edition offers a unique synthesis of historical case studies and the underlying logics that have sustained racism across time and cultures. Foschi distinguishes between spiritual and scientific racisms, tracing their development through religious, philosophical, and pseudo-scientific traditions. He examines how various groups—including Jewish communities, people of African descent, women, working-class individuals, and LGBTQ+ people—have been positioned as distinct “races” through shifting systems of exclusion. The book also explores lesser-known cases, such as the racialization of Southern Italians, to demonstrate how these dynamics operate within national and regional contexts. The second half of the book focuses on resistance—how racialized communities have mobilized pride, solidarity, and intersectional alliances to challenge discrimination. The final chapter reflects on human biodiversity and the enduring misconceptions that continue to shape contemporary forms of racialization. With its interdisciplinary scope and original theoretical framing, this book offers essential tools for understanding the historical and conceptual foundations of racism. It will be of interest to scholars and students in history, philosophy, psychology, and critical race studies.

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9783032229618

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Renato Foschi is a historian of science and professor at Sapienza University of Rome. With a background in psychology and a PhD in the history of science, his work explores the intersections of race, identity, and scientific thought. He has authored over 100 publications across multiple languages and is co-author of A Critical History of Psychotherapy (2023). Foschi is also active in public scholarship, curating digital content on the history of psychology for a broad international audience.

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