Why are white people (of European descent) called "Caucasian" if Caucasus region is located in Asia?

[Padanian]

White people of "German, British, French, Nordic, Italian, Iberian, Slavic, Celtic, Balkan, Scandinavian etc" descent are often referred to in racial census all around the world as "Caucasian" (meaning they are of white/European/Western ethnicity) when Caucasus actually isn't even an European region both in geographical and cultural/ethnic contexts? True "Caucasian people" should be the ones inhabiting Western Asian regions, not the ones of white ethnicity who inhabit Europe (or countries settled by Europeans).

[Mark76]

It's an American thing. No one in Europe calls themselves Caucasians...

Other than actual Caucasians from the Caucuses.

[user_]

It's an American thing. No one in Europe calls themselves Caucasians...

Other than actual Caucasians from the Caucuses.

Actually this is Europeans thing, German anthropologist Blumenbach was first who named white race as Caucasian.

[Padanian]

It's an American thing. No one in Europe calls themselves Caucasians...

Other than actual Caucasians from the Caucuses.

It's not only in USA. In most of Latin American and European countries (as well as Australia and New Zealand), people who belong to "white race" (native European people, or people of full European descent) are considered "Caucasian" in their census. That's what I don't understand, looks kinda bizarre.

[Tooting Carmen]

Because the first fossils of modern-day Caucasoids were found in what is now Georgia, and Caucasoids are the dominant race in the Middle East and North Africa as well as Europe.

[thatoneton]

First of all there is no any set definition of continents and their boundaries and what and why constitutes them, and Asia is probably the biggest "dumpster" of all the continents without any actual geographic/cultural/historical/political/racial/religious basis that saying with certainty something lies in Asia is probably not the best idea. And Caucasus is according to many definitions included in Europe either partially or wholly, so saying that Caucasus is in Asia is somewhat subjective if not outright misleading. Same goes for its inhabitants who are divided over whether they themselves are Europeans or Asians or Middle Easterners (Middle East is a different continent from Asia from a geological point of view) or just someone else entirely.

And the answer to your question is that what is called the White race (or Caucasian race) included (includes) native people from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Southwestern Asia up to India. So Caucasians certainly belonged in the mix.

[Padanian]

First of all there is no any set definition of continents and their boundaries and what and why constitutes them, and Asia is probably the biggest "dumpster" of all the continents without any actual geographic/cultural/historical/political/racial/religious basis that saying with certainty something lies in Asia is probably not the best idea. And Caucasus is according to many definitions included in Europe either partially or wholly, so saying that Caucasus is in Asia is somewhat subjective if not outright misleading. Same goes for its inhabitants who are divided over whether they themselves are Europeans or Asians or Middle Easterners (Middle East is a different continent from Asia from a geological point of view) or just someone else entirely.

And the answer to your question is that what is called the White race (or Caucasian race) included (includes) native people from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Southwestern Asia up to India. So Caucasians certainly belonged in the mix.

Thanks for the explanation!

[thatoneton]

Np, hope it helped

[Odelia]

It's dumb! It should be changed to simply European or White-appearance. Slapping "Caucasian" on a fucking Icelandic criminal is as ridiculous as calling an East Timorese suspect "Japonic". Caucasian is a fucking small region in west asia or southeastern europe -- I'd say it's more west asian tbh. Why should it cover all europeans? It's arbitrary and it doesn't make sense and it's disrespectful to actual caucasians that have their name appropriated for others! Guess what...prehistoric Caucasoid skulls have also been found in what is now Israel. So by that logic, modern day whites can also be called Levantines or Syrians?

Tl dr; Caucasian = caucasus peoples...END OF!

[Abaddon]

Saying that Caucasus is in Asia is somewhat subjective if not outright misleading. Same goes for its inhabitants who are divided over whether they themselves are Europeans or Asians or Middle Easterners (Middle East is a different continent from Asia from a geological point of view) or just someone else entirely.

It quite depends if your refers to south caucasus or the northern one.

North Caucasus is europe, South Caucasus is West Asia, not even (South) caucasians consider to be european themselves.