Körper vermessen. Entstehung und Entwicklung der «Rassen»-Anthropologie im 19. Jahrhundert

In fields such as zoology, anthropology, and palaeontology, scholars sought to categorize human populations through cranial measurements, anthropometric data, and analyses of skin, hair, and eye colour. In doing so, they contributed, at least implicitly, to the construction of hierarchies between different human groups. Drawing on a wide range of nineteenth-century sources, this research project examines how scholars in Switzerland engaged with these transnational scientific trends. It investigates the methods they employed to support their assumptions and the often divergent conclusions they reached. Particular attention is paid to research concerned with theories and findings relating to the “origins” of humans and animals in the canton of Valais. By exploring these debates, the project sheds light on the role of Valais within broader scientific discussions of the period and contributes to a better understanding of the circulation of racial and anthropological knowledge in the nineteenth century.