The DOI matches its Crossref record.
The Myth of Race: The Troubling Persistence of an Unscientific Idea
Abstract
Although eugenics is now widely discredited, some groups and individuals claim a new scientific basis for old racist assumptions. Pondering the continuing influence of racist research and thought, despite all evidence to the contrary, Robert Sussman explains why—when it comes to race—too many people still mistake bigotry for science.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“As highlighted in the critical-race literature, even race is a myth (Sussman, 2014)”
From Complex Racial Trauma: Evidence, Theory, Assessment, and Treatment (2023) · cites this paper as Sussman, 2014
In the citing paper
“In contrast to Linnaeus, Buffon was interested in process (Sussman, 2014) or what we would now refer to as adaptation.”
From Skin color and race (2021) · cites this paper as Sussman, 2014
In the citing paper
“Skin color was evidence of “unchanging and unchangeable moral quality” (Eze, 1995, p. 219) and thus ultimately of free will (Sussman, 2014).”
From Skin color and race (2021) · cites this paper as Sussman, 2014
In the citing paper
“His views on the origin and nature of races changed over the years, but his belief in the direct connection between skin color and character remained firm.”
From Skin color and race (2021) · cites this paper as Sussman, 2014
Citations
Cites
Still being checked.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–211 of 211
Monod, P. K. (2026) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009652339.010
Broich, J. (2026) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009627689.012
“Yet the Problem Remains”: Why Genetic Determinism Still Haunts Biomedical Research
Donohue, C., & Myles, I. A. (2026) · Bioethics · doi:10.1111/bioe.70102
Les différentes formes d'antisémitisme en Angleterre de 1905 à 1933
Alessandri, J.-L. (2019) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/ded7e8c9za179z4d47zafd6z0c66fa22ba8c
Modern Disciplinary Formations
Andújar, R., Giusti, E., & Murray, J. (2026) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009295116.014
Greco-Roman Antiquity and White Nationalist Conceptions of Race
Dozier, C. (2026) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009295116.025
Including the Excluded in Educational Institutions
Ghosh, R. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-1028-3_14
Motley, R., Bills, K. L., Williamson, E. O., Shaw, A., & Murphy, J. R. (2026) · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · doi:10.1177/08862605261451862
Communicating Racial Theory in Effectiveness Work: A QuantCrit Imperative
Blissett, R. S. L., Wang, S., Schultz, D., & Ortiz, R. D. (2026) · Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness · doi:10.1080/19345747.2026.2699148
How the social brain hypothesis undermines hereditarianism
Goodman, J. (2026) · Evolutionary Human Sciences · doi:10.1017/ehs.2026.10067
„Mohikanie” z Powiśla. Echa naukowego rasizmu i myślenia eugenicznego w Lalce Bolesława Prusa
Księska, D. (2026) · Wielogłos · doi:10.4467/2084395xwi.26.020.23974
Metadata
- Authors
- Sussman, R. W.
- Corresponding author
- Sussman, Robert Wald
- Venue
- Harvard University Press eBooks
- Publisher
- Harvard University Press
- Published
- 2014-12-31
- OpenAlex
- W4234576843
- Cited by
- 211
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 7.62
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Harvard University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Race, Genetics, and Society
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Medical History and Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Race, History, and American Society
- Keywords
- race, eugenics, racism, scientific racism, racial theory, pseudoscience, human evolution, social construction of race
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
