Human origins, race typology and the other Raymond Dart

Abstract

Raymond Dart is one of the best‐known figures in the early development of the University of the Witwatersrand. He is most famous for his claim in 1925 that the newly discovered Taung fossil skull (which he termed Australopithecus) represented a crucial ‘missing link’ in the evolution of modem humankind. Dart's view was highly contested at the time and some twenty‐five years were to pass before the significance of Australopithecus gained general scientific acceptance. This article, focusing on Dart's inter‐war work, raises questions about his status as scientific hero. It considers the wider intellectual context of Dart's work, in particular the race typology model which he embraced as well as his infatuation with cultural diffusionism. The paper concludes by suggesting that Dart contributed to the development of scientific racism in South Africa and that his ideas both reflected and reinforced assumptions of white racial superiority.¹