Misuse of the term 'Caucasian' is cultural appropriation

An Open Letter

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to address an important issue regarding the usage of the term “Caucasian” in contemporary discourse. The term is used to describe people of European descent or “white people”. In fact, this is actually a misnomer and represents a form of cultural appropriation.

The word “Caucasian” refers to the people of the Caucasus region, which June Pachuta Farris of the University of Chicago called “a small place of great contrasts”, noting “the diversity of its peoples (more than 40 ethnic groups), languages (50+ languages from both small indigenous language families and from the wider Indo-European, Mongolic, Semitic and Turkic language families), and religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism)”.

The Caucasus region, straddling Eastern Europe and Western Asia, has a history that is often overshadowed. By co-opting their regional name, we contribute to the erasure of their cultural significance and historical struggles. This is especially poignant considering the political and social challenges faced by these groups throughout history, including a number of ethnic cleansings and genocides (some of which are ongoing).

Put simply, we are not white people or from Europe. Leaving aside its pseudoscientific & racist origins, the inaccurate overloading of “Caucasian” serves to also erase the complex tapestry of European ancestries. Let’s use terms that honour, instead of appropriates, the names of other groups of people.

Sincerely,

Paul Pereyda Karayan