The catalogs of human races proposed since the nineteenth century are in part an attempt to justify slavery, but they also represent an early sketch of the scientific study of man, in the vein of evolutionism. It will take decades to realize how inadequate the concept of race is for describing human diversity, but the determinist approach-of which Cesare Lombroso was a staunch proponent-remains widespread in political and social debate, despite the fact that the study of genes and genomes has largely disproved it.

Guido Barbujani teaches genetics at the University of Ferrara.