Calling White People “Caucasian” is Unconsciously Supporting White Supremacy

Identifying White People as “Caucasian” was used to strengthen the argument for White Superiority

I’m white-skinned and of European origin. Therefore I am considered a Caucasian. But the term, “Caucasian” is rooted in notions of white racial superiority and we’re all unconsciously perpetuating racism every time we use it.

Most white people, including myself, are not from Caucasia, a region in Russia.

But this person is. This is a photo of a Caucasian girl from the North Caucasus dressed in traditional clothes.

So why am I called Caucasian?

The word “Caucasian” has become synonymous to describing white people in Canada and the United States. But what if I told you that this word was used to strengthen the argument for White Supremacy in the 19th century?

In 1795, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, a German physician and anthropologist, was working on a project to classify human groups. In that era, skulls were used to differentiate between human groups. So Johann began to study and measure skulls from different parts of the world.

He was particularly captivated by a female skull from the Caucasus region because of its symmetry, fine composition and perfect formation. He described the skull as, “handsome and becoming.”

He viewed white people as being the most beautiful race. This was a typical and accepted belief in that era but Blumenbach wanted a way to prove this assumption. This skull from the Caucasus was his way to prove his racial theories.

His logic went like this: White people are the most beautiful race and this is the most beautiful skull, therefore the cradle for white civilization is the Caucus mountains!

*face palm*

He also went to classify and divide the human race into a fishbowl of racism, prejudice and biases. Unsurprisingly, Blumenbach listed Caucasians on the top of this racial hierarchy.

• Caucasian or white race. People of European, Middle Eastern, and North African origin. (In modern times, Caucasian is used only to describe Europeans.)
• Mongolian or yellow race, including all East Asians and some Central Asians.
• Malayan or brown race, including Southeast Asian and Pacific Islanders.
• Ethiopian or black race, including sub-Saharan Africans.
• American or red race, including Native Americans and Aboriginals.

To put this into perspective, if all white people are Caucasian than your Japanese friend is Mongolian and your Kenyan friend is Ethiopian.

I hope that after reading those bullet points, the word usage of Caucasian will make you cringe like it does for me. (I don’t want to be the only one.)

Most European countries ignored the new ethnicity vocabulary but not North America. So why did USA and Canada adopt the usage of Caucasian?

As more and more European immigrants settled into the new lands, their previous origins melted away and they became, “American or Canadian.” Calling themselves “Caucasian” was just another way to prove racial identity. Additionally, it was used to justify racial discrimination like slavery or segregation during certain periods in history.

Some of you are probably wondering, “Okay, cool fact but calling white people Caucasian doesn’t mean I’m supporting white supremacy!”

Unconsciously, you are because language matters. Every time you identify yourself or others as “Caucasian” it becomes a reflection of Blumenbach’s belief in white superiority. It is supporting his system of classification as white people being the most beautiful race and therefore, the top of the racial pyramid.

To make matters worse, his racial theories paved the way for other scholars to argue proof of white superiority. Basically, his work encouraged scientific racism.

Let’s stop using Caucasian to describe ourselves unless you’re an actual person from the Caucuses.