The Social Construction of Race Lesson 11: Race as a Socially Constructed Status

Race Defined A “race” is a smaller part of a species Species – A group of organisms capable of reproducing fertile offspring Race – A subgroup within a species with defining traits not present in other groups within the species Warblers (Birds in North America) YellowGeographicWhite ThroatBarrierThroat

Can we use Race with Humans? How can we categorize humans into races? Phenotypes The physical expression of genes Can be misleading Do we have an accurate way of describing phenotypes?

Race by Genotype Anti-malarial genes Malaria is an infectious sickness that we contract from insect bites Sickle cell anemia

Race by Genotype Pt. II Adult Lactase Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down the milk sugar lactose

The History of Race Only used with humans in recent history No “race” concept found among ancient Greeks or Egyptians Not found in the work of Marco Polo ( ) Race begins during the Renaissance Europeans traveling and exposed to tremendous physical and cultural diversity Ethnocentrism prevented them from seeing us all as part of one group

The (Pseudo)Science of Race Originally race was explained using the Bible –This changes in the 18 th Century Carolus Linneaus –Divided humans into four groups by skin color –American (red), European (white), Asiatic (yellow), and African (black) –Also attached behavioral characteristics to each group

It Gets Worse… Biological Determinism The belief that behaviors are genetically rooted Firmly entrenched in middle-1800s Eugenics France Galton advocated Theme of racial improvement through selective breading Often associated with Nazi Germany

How is Race Perpetuated? In the US today, race categories appear in the census and on applications What are the common six categories? ☐ What are these categories based on? Have the categories changed over time?

The Myth of Ancestry People tend to separate themselves into groups based on ancestry If we go by direct ancestors, our number of ancestors doubles each generation we go back 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, 16 great-great grandparents, etc… We can represent this with the equation 2 n where “n” equals the number of generations we go back How many ancestors do we have 40 generations ago? What does this tell us about ancestry?

Race and Ethnicity Race is a social category, and so is ethnicity A social category based on a common cultural heritage Both race and ethnicity can factor into some groups being classified as “minorities” Minority in terms of power Sometimes generalizations are attached to these groups Called prejudice Can be positive or negative

Racism Prejudice on the basis of race is called racism The belief that one perceived group is biologically superior to another perceived group Based on ethnocentrism Racism and prejudice can result in: Discrimination Segregation Genocide

Exam Review Questions What is the taxonomic binomial name for the human species? How many chromosomes do humans have? Is race a biologically useful category among humans? Can we divide humans into discrete racial groups? Why or why not? How is this idea perpetuated in US society? What is the definition and application of the following concepts? Racism Prejudice Discrimination Segregation Ethnicity Genocide