Defined Highbrow and Lowbrow terms

11ty/definitions/highbrow.md

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+---
+title: Highbrow
+slug: highbrow
+defined: true
+excerpt: a term used to describe sophisticated culture, art, or intellectual pursuits, rooted in the racist pseudoscience of phrenology which falsely claimed that people with higher foreheads were more intelligent
+speech: adjective, noun
+flag:
+  level: warning
+  text: content warning
+reading:
+- text: "Highbrow/Lowbrow: The Emergence of Cultural Hierarchy in America"
+  href: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674390652
+- text: "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins - Dr. Franz Joseph Gall"
+  href: https://archive.org/details/qpbencyclopediao00robe
+- text: "Phrenology - Wikipedia"
+  href: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology
+---
+
+a term used to describe sophisticated culture, art, or intellectual pursuits, but one that is rooted in the racist pseudoscience of phrenology which falsely claimed that people with higher foreheads were more intelligent.
+
+## Etymology and Problematic Origins
+
+The term "highbrow" was first recorded in 1875 and was popularized in 1902 by Will Irvin, a reporter for The Sun of New York City, who adhered to the phrenological notion that more intelligent people had high foreheads.
+
+The concept originates from **phrenology**, a discredited pseudoscience developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gall in the late 18th century. Phrenology claimed that skull shape and brain size could determine intelligence and personality traits. This pseudoscience was deeply connected to **hierarchical racial theories** and was used to justify European racial superiority.
+
+## Connection to Scientific Racism
+
+According to historical records, one metric of racial classification was "the line of the forehead, said to be higher among 'Caucasians' and lower among 'Mongolians' and 'Ethiopians'" - this is the direct origin of the terms "highbrow" and "lowbrow." 
+
+Phrenology was used to:
+- Rank races from "least to most evolved"
+- Justify slavery and colonialism
+- Exclude women and marginalized groups from intellectual spaces
+- Support eugenics theories
+
+## Modern Usage and Impact
+
+While the term is now commonly used to describe:
+- Classical music, literature, and fine arts
+- Intellectual or sophisticated cultural pursuits
+- Academic or scholarly work
+
+Its continued use perpetuates the problematic idea that certain forms of culture are inherently "superior" or more intellectually valuable than others, reinforcing cultural hierarchies that often exclude working-class, non-Western, and marginalized communities.
+
+## Alternatives
+
+Consider using more specific, descriptive terms such as:
+- Academic
+- Scholarly
+- Formal
+- Classical
+- Traditional
+- Specialized
+
+## See Also
+
+[Lowbrow](/definitions/lowbrow), [Phrenology](/definitions/phrenology), [Eugenics](/definitions/eugenics)

11ty/definitions/lowbrow.md

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+---
+title: Lowbrow
+slug: lowbrow
+defined: true
+excerpt: a term used to describe popular or mass culture, rooted in the racist pseudoscience of phrenology which falsely claimed that people with lower foreheads were less intelligent
+speech: adjective, noun
+flag:
+  level: warning
+  text: content warning
+reading:
+- text: "Highbrow/Lowbrow: The Emergence of Cultural Hierarchy in America"
+  href: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674390652
+- text: "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins - Dr. Franz Joseph Gall"
+  href: https://archive.org/details/qpbencyclopediao00robe
+- text: "Phrenology - Wikipedia"
+  href: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology
+---
+
+a term used to describe popular culture, mass entertainment, or supposedly "unsophisticated" cultural pursuits, but one that is rooted in the racist pseudoscience of phrenology which falsely claimed that people with lower foreheads were less intelligent.
+
+## Etymology and Problematic Origins
+
+The term "lowbrow" emerged as the opposite of "highbrow" and was popularized in 1902 alongside its counterpart. Both terms stem from **phrenology**, a discredited pseudoscience that claimed skull shape could determine intelligence and personality.
+
+The pseudoscience taught that people with large foreheads were more intelligent, while those with smaller foreheads or "lower brows" were considered less intelligent. This was explicitly connected to **racial hierarchies**, with European skull shapes being deemed "superior."
+
+## Connection to Scientific Racism
+
+Phrenology was used to create and justify racial hierarchies by claiming that:
+- Europeans had "higher" brow ridges indicating superior intelligence
+- Other racial groups had "lower" foreheads indicating inferior intelligence
+- Brain size and skull measurements could predict intellectual capacity
+- Cultural and social differences were biologically determined
+
+These false theories were used to justify:
+- Slavery and colonialism
+- Educational and social exclusion
+- Eugenics programs
+- Cultural supremacy
+
+## Modern Usage and Impact
+
+Today, "lowbrow" is commonly applied to:
+- Popular entertainment (reality TV, pop music, etc.)
+- Mass-market culture
+- Entertainment requiring "little intellectual effort"
+- Working-class cultural forms
+
+This usage perpetuates harmful hierarchies that:
+- Devalue popular and community-based cultural forms
+- Reinforce class-based cultural divisions
+- Suggest some forms of enjoyment are inherently "lesser"
+- Often dismiss cultural expressions of marginalized communities
+
+## Cultural Hierarchy Problems
+
+The highbrow/lowbrow divide creates artificial cultural hierarchies that often correlate with:
+- Economic class
+- Educational access
+- Racial and ethnic background
+- Geographic location
+
+These divisions ignore the complexity, creativity, and value present in all forms of cultural expression.
+
+## Alternatives
+
+Consider more specific, non-hierarchical terms:
+- Popular
+- Accessible
+- Mass-market
+- Mainstream
+- Community-based
+- Participatory
+
+## See Also
+
+[Highbrow](/definitions/highbrow), [Cultural Appropriation](/definitions/cultural-appropriation), [Classism](/definitions/classism)