Ben Waber reviewed Materials of the Mind by James Poskett
An Individual-Focused, Morbidly Fascinating History
4 stars
This book mostly keeps the focus on the individuals at the center of advancing phrenology's popularity, demonstrating how central racism and social processes were in driving its rise and fall. The big hole in this book is any macro perspective - while the different institutions and practices of the field are mentioned in passing, they aren't systematically interrogated. What was most surprising to me was that it wasn't the preposterous nature of the field that brought it down, but rather the ascendancy of other scientific fields that choked off funding and attention. It's also important to note how even abolitionists used phrenology, demonstrating the folly of attempting to use racist tools as a corrective. Highly recommend
This book mostly keeps the focus on the individuals at the center of advancing phrenology's popularity, demonstrating how central racism and social processes were in driving its rise and fall. The big hole in this book is any macro perspective - while the different institutions and practices of the field are mentioned in passing, they aren't systematically interrogated. What was most surprising to me was that it wasn't the preposterous nature of the field that brought it down, but rather the ascendancy of other scientific fields that choked off funding and attention. It's also important to note how even abolitionists used phrenology, demonstrating the folly of attempting to use racist tools as a corrective. Highly recommend