The Hamitic Hypothesis was a 19th century anthropological theory that claimed that humans originated in Asia and then migrated to other regions of the world. The theory was used to explain the discovery of socalled “white races” in Africa in the late 1800s. The Hamitic Hypothesis was not simply a curiosity of anthropological science. It was an idea that changed lives: from those European colonists who relied upon it to justify their presence in Africa, to the scientists who used it to explain away the accomplishments of African civilizations as a result of “white” influence. Ultimately, the Hamitic Hypothesis anchored a global theory of human origins and migration that, when combined with the Aryan race theory, shaped anthropology, colonial policy, and even the attitudes of Africans themselves for a hundred years.

Michael Robinson is a historian of science and exploration at the University of Hartford. He is the author of "The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration and American Culture." His new book The Lost White Tribe: Explorers, Scientists, and the Theory that Changed a Continent" comes out with Oxford University Press in December.

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