In 1876, Henry Morton Stanley claimed that he encountered a tribe of ‘white Africans’ in Central Africa near Gambaragara. Despite voluminous biographical works devoted to Stanley, none remark on this shocking assertion, ostensibly since it appears to be a relic of a more superstitious and less enlightened era. Michael F. Robinson seeks to unravel the truth behind this mysterious claim and, more specifically, the idea, the Hamitic hypothesis, which undergirds it.
To tell this story, Robinson deftly moves between the straightforward history of Stanley's exploration and the twisting tale of the Hamitic hypothesis. The latter began its life as a rationale for Jewish domination over Canaan and it was based on the biblical narrative that Noah cursed his son, Ham, to a life of servitude to his other two brothers. Centuries later, Christians and Muslims applied the story to justify their domination of Africa during the Atlantic slave trade. The hypothesis gained new life in the nineteenth century when polygenists adopted and narrowed it to account for Caucasian origins. Robinson underscores the malleability of the hypothesis as it conformed to accommodate Western belief in white racial superiority. More importantly, he demonstrates the powerful role the theory played in shaping scientific observations as they were being made (161). As the myth of massive, world-scale Aryan invasions was gaining prominence through the field of linguistics, scientists and explorers kept finding ‘lost white tribes’, such as ‘Blond Eskimos’ and ‘white Africans’, who had allegedly been cut off from their Aryan ancestors.
Robinson convincingly argues that the Hamitic hypothesis amassed an extensive following because it offered Westerners a window to explore and define whiteness. His chapters on literature and psychology reveal the reach of the hypothesis and the allure of Stanley's purported sighting. H. Rider Haggard's bestselling fiction featured ‘lost white tribes’, and Stanley's writings clearly influenced King Solomon's Mines. In that work, the plucky British protagonists free the ‘light-skinned Kukuanas’ from despotic rule in a landscape that clearly resembles Gambaragara. Not only did Haggard provide readers with romantic adventure, but he also advanced a reassuring narrative about the superiority of white racial identity. In a fascinating connection, both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were keen fans of Haggard and they relied on the Hamitic hypothesis to contrast the white psyche with the ‘primitive’ African.
While Robinson demonstrates that the Hamitic hypothesis captivated Western imaginations, the role the theory played within Africa itself could be fleshed out more fully. It certainly affirmed colonial conquest of Africa, a point that Robinson could emphasize more forcefully. Elucidating the ways in which the hypothesis was implemented in colonial rule could potentially strengthen Robinson's argument that the theory was a factor in the Rwandan genocide. Given that missionaries provided most colonial schooling for Africans, it would be helpful to know to what extent they embraced and taught the theory, particularly since few, if any, would have accepted polygenism. Closer attention to missionaries on the ground in Buganda would also help avert errors such as the reference to Bishop Hannington as Hannigan.
This engagingly written book is poised to hold crossover appeal for both general and academic audiences. The short chapters appear designed to satisfy today's undergraduates and while the archival work focuses mainly on Stanley, the use of wide-ranging sources is impressive. Academics may be mildly frustrated over the formatting of the references: citations are confined to the end of paragraphs with all sources listed in the same endnote. This reader found herself seeking more detailed information. Similarly, deeper contextualization of the architects of the Hamitic hypothesis could illuminate any challenges that they faced. Although Robinson offers some tantalizing details about the proponents of the theory, he skirts the complicated terrain in which they theorized. For example, the field of anthropology was more variegated than it appears in the book. Americans were divided over racial theories of equality and difference and the British debated diffusionist and functionalist understandings of culture. Perhaps most critically since the book targets audiences who may be less acquainted with the subject, those who promoted the hypothesis can seem to be operating simply in the interests of furthering science rather than within specific milieus that championed ideas of white superiority.
Despite the minor shortcomings enumerated above, this book merits reading by wide audiences. It provides an absorbing narrative of the broad range of disciplines that contributed to a dangerous myth. Moreover, Robinson writes with deep empathy for Stanley, seeking to understand his claim. The poignant ending validates Stanley's apparent desire to find the familiar and asserts the insecurities that explorers and scientists held in the industrial era.
