Timeline of the Term and Use of “White Culture” in History

The term “white culture” is a relatively modern concept, emerging from discussions on race, identity, and power dynamics, particularly in the context of European colonialism, slavery, and later civil rights movements. It often refers to the norms, values, and practices associated with people of European descent, sometimes critiqued as a dominant or supremacist framework. Below is a chronological overview based on historical developments and scholarly discussions:

• Ancient and Medieval Periods (Pre-1600s): No direct use of “white culture” as a term, but early precursors to racial categorization existed. Ancient Greeks and Romans distinguished between “barbarians” and civilized peoples, often based on geography and customs rather than skin color. For instance, the Roman Empire included diverse ethnic groups, and race was not conceptualized as “white” vs. others in modern terms. Ideas of “Caucasian” beauty in art laid vague foundations for later racial ideals.
• 17th-18th Centuries (Colonial Era): The notion of “whiteness” as a unified racial identity began forming in European colonies, especially in the Americas. This was tied to justifying slavery and colonialism. In the U.S., laws like Virginia’s 1662 slave codes and Bacon’s Rebellion (1676) helped solidify “white” as a category to unite Europeans against enslaved Africans and Indigenous peoples. The term “white culture” wasn’t explicitly used, but Enlightenment thinkers like Carl Linnaeus (1735) classified humans into racial hierarchies, with Europeans at the top, influencing ideas of cultural superiority.
• 19th Century (Rise of Scientific Racism): Racial theories popularized “white” as a cultural and biological superior group. Terms like “Caucasian” (coined by Johann Blumenbach in 1795) evolved into broader discussions of “white civilization.” In the U.S., during westward expansion and the Civil War era, “white culture” implicitly referred to Anglo-Saxon Protestant norms. Books like Joseph Arthur de Gobineau’s Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races (1853-1855) argued for white cultural dominance. In art and literature, “white” ideals were depicted, but the exact phrase “white culture” was rare.
• Early 20th Century (Immigration and Eugenics): “Whiteness” expanded to include more European groups (e.g., Irish, Italians) via assimilation, but excluded others. The 1924 U.S. Immigration Act prioritized “Nordic” whites. Discussions of “white culture” appeared in anthropological and sociological contexts, often linked to imperialism. For example, in the British Empire, “white man’s burden” (Rudyard Kipling, 1899) implied a cultural mission.
• Mid-20th Century (Civil Rights Era, 1940s-1970s): The term “white culture” gained prominence in critiques of racism. Post-WWII, UNESCO’s 1950 statement on race challenged biological racism, shifting focus to cultural aspects. In the U.S., during the Civil Rights Movement, scholars like Ruth Benedict discussed cultural relativism, contrasting it with dominant “white” norms. By the 1960s-1970s, Black Power movements (e.g., Stokely Carmichael) and feminist writings began using “white culture” to describe systemic privileges, as in discussions of “whiteness as property” in legal scholarship.
• Late 20th Century (1980s-2000s): Academic fields like whiteness studies formalized the term. Peggy McIntosh’s 1989 essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” popularized analyzing “white culture” as invisible norms (e.g., individualism, punctuality). In the 1990s, books like The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter (2010, but building on earlier work) traced its constructed nature. It was often critiqued in discussions of multiculturalism and white supremacy.
• 21st Century (2010s-Present): Widespread use in media, academia, and online discourse. Terms like “white fragility” (Robin DiAngelo, 2011) and debates over “white culture” (e.g., is it “bland” or dominant?) surged with social movements like Black Lives Matter (2013 onward). Articles in outlets like The Guardian (2018) and Medium (2023) explore its intangibility or ties to supremacy. 0 1 Recent X discussions highlight it in cultural preservation debates, often contrasting it with other heritages. 12 14 In 2024-2025, it’s invoked in political contexts, like critiques of “wokism” or heritage erasure. 26

This timeline shows “white culture” as a constructed idea, evolving from racial hierarchies to modern critiques. Its use intensified in the 20th century with anti-racist scholarship.

Were All Powerful Empires in History Claimed to Be White?

No, not all powerful empires in history have been claimed to be white, and factually, many were not led by or composed primarily of people considered “white” in modern racial terms (i.e., of European descent). Eurocentric historical narratives have sometimes whitewashed ancient civilizations (e.g., claiming ancient Egyptians or Persians were “white”), but scholarly evidence shows a diverse range of empires across Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East. Imperialism and empire-building have been practiced by groups of all ethnicities throughout history. 30 38 Below is a overview, focusing on non-white empires to address the query’s implication.

• Non-White Empires in History:
• Ancient Mesopotamia (e.g., Akkadian Empire, c. 2334-2154 BCE): In modern Iraq, led by Semitic peoples (not European/white). Often called the first empire, it influenced later civilizations.
• Ancient Egypt (c. 3100-30 BCE): African empire along the Nile, ruled by pharaohs of Northeast African descent. Eurocentric claims sometimes portray them as white, but evidence (e.g., DNA, art) shows indigenous African origins with Mediterranean influences.
• Persian Empire (Achaemenid, 550-330 BCE): Iranian (Middle Eastern/Asian) empire under Cyrus the Great, spanning three continents. Not white; Persians were Indo-Iranian.
• Maurya Empire (India, 322-185 BCE): Founded by Chandragupta Maurya, one of the largest ancient empires, promoting Buddhism across Asia.
• Han Dynasty (China, 206 BCE-220 CE): Massive East Asian empire, inventing paper, silk roads, and bureaucracy; purely non-white.
• Roman Empire (27 BCE-476 CE): Often claimed as “white” due to European roots, but diverse with North African, Middle Eastern, and Asian populations; emperors like Septimius Severus were of African descent. 34
• Byzantine Empire (330-1453 CE): Eastern Roman continuation, multicultural with Greek, Armenian, and Slavic influences; not exclusively white.
• Islamic Caliphates (e.g., Umayyad, 661-750 CE; Abbasid, 750-1258 CE): Middle Eastern/Arab empires stretching from Spain to India, advancing science and trade.
• Mongol Empire (1206-1368 CE): Largest contiguous empire ever, led by Genghis Khan (East/Central Asian); conquered much of Eurasia.
• Mali Empire (West Africa, c. 1235-1670 CE): Led by Mansa Musa (richest person in history), known for wealth, scholarship (Timbuktu), and gold trade.
• Ottoman Empire (1299-1922 CE): Turkish (Central Asian/Middle Eastern) empire controlling Europe, Asia, and Africa; diverse and non-white at its core. 31
• Aztec Empire (Mesoamerica, 1428-1521 CE): Indigenous American, with advanced cities like Tenochtitlan.
• Inca Empire (South America, 1438-1533 CE): Andean indigenous, building vast road networks and Machu Picchu.
• Mughal Empire (India, 1526-1857 CE): Central Asian/Muslim rulers like Akbar, blending Persian and Indian cultures.
• Qing Dynasty (China, 1644-1912 CE): Manchu-led, last imperial China, expanding into Central Asia.
• Modern Examples: Japanese Empire (late 19th-20th centuries) colonized Asia; Ethiopian Empire resisted European colonialism. 32
• Claims of “Whiteness” in History: In 19th-20th century Eurocentric scholarship, some empires (e.g., ancient Greece, Rome, or even Egypt) were portrayed as “white” to justify colonialism and racial superiority. However, this is debunked by modern archaeology and genetics. For example, ancient Rome was multicultural, with people of color in high positions. 34 Not all empires were white-led; white/European empires (e.g., British, Spanish, French) dominated from the 15th-20th centuries due to technological and naval advantages, but they represent only a fraction of global history. 36 37

In summary, history is filled with powerful non-white empires, and claims otherwise often stem from biased narratives rather than facts.