The invention of the white race. Part 1: The mark of Cain

Translated from the French Original by Katy Albiston The sacred texts have played and do play a crucial role in the understanding of difference. The best known examples are the Curse of Ham (Gen 9) and the Mark of Cain (Gen 4), which underpinned – amongst other things – the justification for the enslavement of black people. Relative to the Ham story, that of Cain is of interest in expressing the divine will with a distinctive sign; Cain was affected physically by the curse: “So the Lord put ...