Which of the following is an example of scientific racism used during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?
A. Altering the religious beliefs of colonial subjects by sending Christian missionaries.
B. Encouraging colonized people to dress in Western fashions.
C. Identifications of a superior ethnic group in Africa because they have more European features.
D. Forcing colonized peoples to speak colonial languages such as English.
C. Identifications of a superior ethnic group in Africa because they have more European features.
C. Identification of a superior ethnic group in Africa because they have more European features.
The correct answer is C. Identifications of a superior ethnic group in Africa because they have more European features.
Scientific racism, a term used to describe the misuse of science to justify racist beliefs, was prevalent during the 19th and 20th centuries. In this instance, the identification of a superior ethnic group in Africa based on European features is an example of scientific racism. This pseudoscience perpetuated the idea that certain physical characteristics dictated intellectual and moral superiority.
To arrive at this answer, you could have eliminated options A, B, and D as they are unrelated to scientific racism. A, which involves altering religious beliefs, and D, which concerns language imposition, are instances of cultural coercion rather than scientific racism. B, encouraging Western fashion, also does not pertain to scientific racism but rather cultural assimilation.
By process of elimination, option C stands out as the correct answer, representing an example of scientific racism.