Blurb:

This chapter examines whether secularization had an impact on the rise of racism since about 1500. It explores different approaches to this question and arguments from both sides. One can point, for example, to things like Christian anti-Semitism and justifications for slavery. But one can also point to the development of secular scientific racism which divided humanity into a hierarchy of distinct racial groups. The article concludes by suggesting that neither Christianity nor atheism are inherently racist or antiracist.