In the 1700s there were a widely believed theory that the human race originated in the Caucasus. This was supported by some interpretations of the Bible and other myths. At the time Europeans also considered women from the region to be the most beautiful and it was therefore thought that this was because they were the “original” humans.
Relic of the past that just happened to stick around in the lexicon. If you’ll recall, there was a time (not actually all that long ago) when Italians, Irish, Greeks, Cossacks, Slavs etc. were all labelled ‘nonwhite’ in the popular consciousness. And plenty more, too.
As for whether that white/nonwhite distinction actually matters, that’s really a personal question. On one hand you’ve got individual cultural backgrounds that are rich and shouldn’t be all lumped in with one another. And on the other, you’ve got the freaks out there who believe they ‘shouldn’t count’ as white for X reason. I’m sure at least a few of those will join the comment section shortly.
An 18th century German guy decided that people from the Caucasus mountains were kind of stereotypically white-looking while doing some mild race science and extrapolated that the origin of a lot of European peoples must have either been in the Caucasus mountains or they passed through there. Funnily enough he seems to have been right. The proto-indo-european ancestors of the majority of Europe all the way over to India, did seem to at least pass through the Caucasus very early on.
It literally has nothing to do with where people are from. They were trying to find a nice term for white people didn’t offend any particular European group.
Back in the day some early anthropologists tried to group races into bigger groups, this was before they knew about genetics so they just had to go off appearance. They thought they could group everyone into a few big groups.
So they came up with groups like the Mongoloids, which is the people who look like the Mongols, or the Capoids which is the people who look like the people who live by the Cape of Good Hope.
One of the groups they invented was the Caucasians, which was the people who looked sort of like the people of the Caucasus mountains. This group included white Europeans, Arabs, Persians, North Africans, Indians, Turks, and some central Asian people who all looked similar. The Caucasus was chosen for the name because the people there were seen as sort of halfway in appearance between the races in that group.
So they started using the word Caucasian, and used it like it was the scientific term for those races, and then over time in common usage, especially in the USA, people ended up just using it just for white people and thinking it was just a more formal sounding way of saying white people.
Because the white race (probably not the first whites but the main group that all Indo-Europeans are descendants from) was though to have been from the Caucasian mountains.
We know now that it is now western Siberia, from there the indo-aryans immigrated to India (where they did copious amounts of race mixing yet retained more cultural remnants like the vedic hymns.) Persia (American Iranians are listed as whites in the US census though it’s very debatable) and Europe (where they stayed mostly pure but still got additions like blonde hair from the natives)
The Caucasus Mountains, in any direction, are home to ancient capitals roughly every 100 miles. Each of these cities has its own unique language, script, cuisine, and traditions. That’s why the region is so culturally diverse and fascinating.
Back in the days of colonialism, soem anthropologists decided that the European and MENA “racial groups” originated in t he Caucasus. To me it’s still a useful word to say when I want to talk about both groups a t the same time
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It’s based on an old, discredited theory that the origin of humanity was in the Caucus mountains. The theory was disproved but the name stuck.
People used to believe that Europeans descended from the Caucuses.
Indians are Caucasian, but they aren’t white, right?
It’s a term used in the USA, where they call african american every black man
In the 1700s there were a widely believed theory that the human race originated in the Caucasus. This was supported by some interpretations of the Bible and other myths. At the time Europeans also considered women from the region to be the most beautiful and it was therefore thought that this was because they were the “original” humans.
While we are at it why are they called white when they aren’t white? Black when they aren’t black? Yellow…..
Relic of the past that just happened to stick around in the lexicon. If you’ll recall, there was a time (not actually all that long ago) when Italians, Irish, Greeks, Cossacks, Slavs etc. were all labelled ‘nonwhite’ in the popular consciousness. And plenty more, too.
As for whether that white/nonwhite distinction actually matters, that’s really a personal question. On one hand you’ve got individual cultural backgrounds that are rich and shouldn’t be all lumped in with one another. And on the other, you’ve got the freaks out there who believe they ‘shouldn’t count’ as white for X reason. I’m sure at least a few of those will join the comment section shortly.
An 18th century German guy decided that people from the Caucasus mountains were kind of stereotypically white-looking while doing some mild race science and extrapolated that the origin of a lot of European peoples must have either been in the Caucasus mountains or they passed through there. Funnily enough he seems to have been right. The proto-indo-european ancestors of the majority of Europe all the way over to India, did seem to at least pass through the Caucasus very early on.
Caucasian is deemed an obsolete term to describe a race of people. At least according to wiki.
It literally has nothing to do with where people are from. They were trying to find a nice term for white people didn’t offend any particular European group.
Because the first modern humans came from Ararat mountain from Noah’s ark. And dinosaurs died in the Great Flood
I always say I’m Anglo Saxon, not Caucasian. Always throws people for a loop
Many brown people are Caucasian, as well. People from India.
Lots of wrong answers here.
Back in the day some early anthropologists tried to group races into bigger groups, this was before they knew about genetics so they just had to go off appearance. They thought they could group everyone into a few big groups.
So they came up with groups like the Mongoloids, which is the people who look like the Mongols, or the Capoids which is the people who look like the people who live by the Cape of Good Hope.
One of the groups they invented was the Caucasians, which was the people who looked sort of like the people of the Caucasus mountains. This group included white Europeans, Arabs, Persians, North Africans, Indians, Turks, and some central Asian people who all looked similar. The Caucasus was chosen for the name because the people there were seen as sort of halfway in appearance between the races in that group.
So they started using the word Caucasian, and used it like it was the scientific term for those races, and then over time in common usage, especially in the USA, people ended up just using it just for white people and thinking it was just a more formal sounding way of saying white people.
Because the white race (probably not the first whites but the main group that all Indo-Europeans are descendants from) was though to have been from the Caucasian mountains.
We know now that it is now western Siberia, from there the indo-aryans immigrated to India (where they did copious amounts of race mixing yet retained more cultural remnants like the vedic hymns.) Persia (American Iranians are listed as whites in the US census though it’s very debatable) and Europe (where they stayed mostly pure but still got additions like blonde hair from the natives)
I have literally never heard someone called ‘caucasian’ in Europe, it’s just a very American thing as a way to differentiate people
The Caucasus Mountains, in any direction, are home to ancient capitals roughly every 100 miles. Each of these cities has its own unique language, script, cuisine, and traditions. That’s why the region is so culturally diverse and fascinating.
well, aryan getting blacklisted messed some things up
This seems to be a uniquely American thing. In Europe white people are just called white. The term “Caucasian” is not popular globally.
Back in the days of colonialism, soem anthropologists decided that the European and MENA “racial groups” originated in t he Caucasus. To me it’s still a useful word to say when I want to talk about both groups a t the same time
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