The Races of Europe: A Sociological Study

W. Z. Ripley's The Races of Europe: A Sociological Study (1899) proposed that European Caucasians could be divided into three local races: the northern (Teutonic), southern (Mediterranean), and central (Alpine) groups. Ripley suggested the Alpine group originated from recent migrants from Asia, while the Teutonic and Mediterranean groups were of ancient origin. This classification followed anthropological trends of the mid-19th century. The concept of "race" as a term for human categorization emerged in the late 16th century, initially with a broad meaning similar to "type" or "kind". By the 18th century, it was used to sort and rank peoples, particularly in English colonies, distinguishing Europeans from Indigenous Americans and Africans.12