Publication Begins
- When
- 1853
- Where
- Bern (writing context); publication site not stated in sources
Gobineau began publishing his racialist essay in 1853, having written the majority of it in Bern, arguing for racial hierarchy and the decline of civilizations through mixing.
The work, originally titled Essai sur l'inégalité des races humaines, was published between 1853 and 1855. Gobineau wrote the majority of the Essai during his time in Switzerland, while stationed at the French legation in Bern as First Secretary. The text posits that race is the primary force determining world events, dividing humans into three major groupings and claiming history springs only from contact with the white races.
Sources
- An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-29
- Arthur de Gobineau Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.