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Measuring the master race :physical anthropology in Norway, 1890-1945

Kyllingstad, Jon Royne - Nama Orang

Measuring the Master Race by Kyllingstad,which explores the various theories and debates held by Norwegian anthropologists and eugenicists on the concept of a superior Nordic race in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, is an important contribution to [Physical anthropology's history] research . . . Measuring the Master Race, the first monograph to open up Norwegian anthropology to the English-reading audience, will be of interest to anyone working on the history of anthropology and racial science.
—Iris Clever, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 24.1 (2018): 204-205

[...] the book is both well researched, well written and enlightening.
— Poul Duedahl, Historisk Tidsskrift, 115.2 (2016): 223-226

[Kyllingstad's] excellent new book . . . is essential reading for students of Scandinavian physical anthropology and related topics, such as Scandinavian prehistory and eugenics, and Norwegian national identity. Yet this fascinating book will be of great interest to a much broader audience as well. It is an important contribution to the history of racism and racial science, and its lessons are pertinent to current philosophical issues to do with 'race'. . . Measuring the Master Race will be a compelling read and a valuable resource.
— Adam Hochman, Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.09.003

The notion of a superior ‘Germanic’ or ‘Nordic’ race was a central theme in Nazi ideology. But it was also a commonly accepted idea in the early twentieth century, an actual scientific concept originating from anthropological research on the physical characteristics of Europeans. The Scandinavian Peninsula was considered to be the historical cradle and the heartland of this ‘master race’.

Measuring the Master Race investigates the role played by Scandinavian scholars in inventing this so-called superior race, and discusses how the concept stamped Norwegian physical anthropology, prehistory, national identity and the eugenics movement. It also explores the decline and scientific discrediting of these ideas in the 1930s as they came to be associated with the genetic cleansing of Nazi Germany.

This is the first comprehensive study of Norwegian physical anthropology. Its findings shed new light on current political and scientific debates about race across the globe.

The Norsk Teknisk Museum (Oslo) and NORLA - Norwegian Literature Abroad have generously contributed towards the publication of this volume.

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