This chapter is the first of three (4–6) that deal with human biological variation in living populations. The current chapter provides an introduction to the study of human variation by describing the methods and models for analysis. The chapter begins with a brief survey of the different ways in which human variation can be measured. The chapter then discusses the “race” concept, and how it has been misused and how it is inappropriate for the study of human biological variation. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the evolutionary approach to the study of variation, including some specific methods used for examining biological variation in human populations.
