Polycentrism (redirected from polycentric)

Polycentrism 

the theory that modern man (Neoan-thropinae) simultaneously evolved in several areas of the world. According to polycentrism, modern man developed in each area as a result of the independent evolution first of Archantropinae and then of Paleoanthropinae. In each case, a specific race appeared, such as Europeoid, Negroid, or Mongoloid. The American anthropologist F. Weidenreich is considered one of the originators of this theory. A supporter of polycentrism among Soviet scholars was G. F. Debets. Polycentrism tends to be disproved on the basis of the absence of morphological similarities between fossil remains of man and the races presently in existence in a given area. The great similarity between the various races with respect to many unrelated features also disproves the theory. Monocentrism is the opposing theory and more widely accepted by anthropologists.

REFERENCES

Roginskii, Ia. Ia. Teorii monotsentrizma i politsentrizma v probleme proiskhozhdeniia sovremennogo cheloveka i ego ras. Moscow, 1949.
Roginskii, la. la. “Osnovnye antropologicheskie voprosy v probleme proiskhozhdeniia sovremennogo cheloveka.” In the collection Proiskhozhdenie cheloveka i drevnee rasselenie chelovechestva. Moscow, 1951. (In-ta etnografii AN SSSR, vol. 16.)
Nesturkh, M. F. Chelovecheskie rosy, 3rd ed. [Moscow, 1965.]

V. P. IAKIMOV