Materials Of The Mind: Phrenology, Race, And Th... Apr 2026

In Materials of the Mind: Phrenology, Race, and the Global History of Science, 1815–1920 , James Poskett presents a global history of phrenology, analyzing it as a materialist science that used physical objects to establish racial hierarchies and support colonial rule. The study highlights how, while often tied to imperial violence, phrenology was also appropriated by local actors in India and China for anticolonial purposes. For more information, visit University of Chicago Press .