This collection makes available for the first time a rich archive of materials that illuminate the history of racial thought and practices in sixteenth and seventeenth century England. A comprehensive introduction shows how these writings are crucial for understanding the pre-Enlightenment lineages of racial categories.

Both National and International Appeal: This collection breaks away from the specifically US dominated view of race, taking into account histories which are far more resonant elsewhere. It deals with the question of religious identity and its relationship to race which is a very urgent topic in both America and Europe. Fills a Niche: Critical studies on race and race theory have become a burgeoning field of scholarly work over the past decade in a broad range of academic disciplines. But despite this growing area of study, most anthologies of racial theory have practically no coverage of material before the modern period (beginning only in the 18th or 19h centuries). This means that the long pre-history of modern racial thought - and particularly its ties to earlier Christian theology and Western understandings of human difference - is completely ignored. The text that Loomba and Burton propose will provide many crucial components that have been missing from this story. Multidisciplinary: This collection will appeal to scholars of Race studies, critical theory, and religion studies.

Classical Texts The Bible Medieval Texts Early Modern Texts Dictionaries