Oxford University Press 2018 ISBN 978-0-19-882125-0 |
All this and much more is related in David Reich's new book. Although his prose is stilted at times, that is more than compensated by the breadth of material presented and by excellent diagrams. These include maps showing the probable origin, direction and timing of human migrations.
Skull from Lapa Vermelha, Lagōa Santa, Brazil Photo by Ryan Somma CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Similarly, present day peoples of India derive much of their genetic makeup from two previous populations. One of these described as "Ancestral South Asians" bears a striking resemblance to the "Pre-Dravidians" postulated by Haddon.
There has been some animus engendered by Reich's book - exacerbated by an opinion piece he wrote for The New York Times. Part II of the book has chapters on the origins of Europeans, South Asians, Native Americans, East Asians and Africans. Inevitably this division reflects the broad racial categories of the past. The flight from racial stereotyping in the last 50 years is laudable, but a mist of political correctness can make recent studies hard to decipher. Reich's book disperses the mist and inevitably invites controversy.
No comments:
Post a Comment