Father of racist ideology : the social and political thought of Count Gobineau

The first general study in English of the French aristocrat Count Gobineau - Joseph Arthur Comte de Gobineau (1816-1882), the 'father of racism' and the most distinguished 19th century proponent of that doctrine. His notorious Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races surpasses in scope and sinister grandeur even that other racist classic Mein Kampf. Gobineau, a complex and enigmatic figure who has in the past been subject to extremes of reverence, denunciation and misrepresentation alike, here receives a more balanced assessment. Racist Ideology Index of Subjects Contents Preface Introduction Part One: The Emergence of Social Pessimism 1 The Early Years 2 The Orleanist Monarchy 3 The German Situation 4 Europe and Beyond 5 Literature and Society 6 Religion and Morality 7 Revolution and Reaction 8 Decentralization and Liberty 9 Diplomacy in Switzerland and Germany 10 The Assertion of Social Pessimism Part Two: The Theory of Racial Determinism 1 The Intellectual Context 2 The Racial Theory 3 The Historical Exposition 4 The Method of Racial Determinism 5 The Theory and the Modern World 6 The Question of Race, Religion and Morality 7 The Search for Social Order 8 The Disruption of Society 9 The Pessimistic Conclusion Part Three: The Triumph of Social Pessimism 1 Diplomatic Horizons: Persia 2 Diplomatic Horizons: Greece 3 Diplomatic Horizons: The Americas 4 The State of France 5 The Viking Inheritance 6 The Elite and the Masses 7 The Triumph of Social Pessimism Conclusion Appendix References Notes on Sources and Further Reading Index of Names