Download Dehal Clayton Anth-1020-020 11/30/2014 Research Paper Concept

Dehal Clayton
Anth-1020-020
11/30/2014
Research Paper
Concept of Race
"Anthropology, the field of inquiry that studies human culture and evolutionary aspects
of human biology, includes cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistics and physical, or
biological anthropology." (Jurmain| Kilgore| Trevathn, Human Origins, Pg.5) As we study
different type of cultures and the concept of race has had many different meanings in the world
and throughout time. "In The United States both scholars and general public have been
conditional to viewing human races as natural and separate divisions within the human species
based on visible physical differences." (http://www.aaanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm) In this paper I
am going to look and see how the definition of race has changed throughout time, the biological
and social perspectives of race, and ethical concerns in the categorized populations of race.
"We all think we know what we mean by the word race, but in reality the term has had
various meanings since the 1500s, when it first appeared in the English language. Race has been
used synonymously with species, as in "the human race." (Jurmain| Kilgore| Trevathn, Human
Origins, Pg. 313) Since the 1600s, race has also referred to various culturally defined groups,
and this meaning is still common." The modern concept of "race" was once known as the Great
Chain of Being, which was natural category established by God or nature. In 1950 the term was
changed to “ethnicity” to get away from people using it in racial problems.
“In short, then, the question of whether people understand race as a biological or social
kind is paramount not only in depending our understanding of racism, but also in resolving
highly contentious debates about the reality of race, as ordinarily understood, and the propriety
of racial discourse and practice."(Shulman, Julie, Is Race-Thinking Biological or Social, and
Does It Matter for Racism? pg. 246)
"Races were assumed to be biologically objective categories that exist independently of
human classifying activities, and scientists worked towards substantiating this belief. They
reasoned that races, if they exist objectively, must be some sort of subspecific taxa; that is,
human races must be subspecies of Homo sapiens."(Andreasen, Robin, Race: Biological Reality
or Social Construct?, S654)
Do our genes determine our race, or has society skewed our view of what race is so
much that it completely destroyed definitions placed upon it? "Anthropologists recognize that
such outdated concepts of race are no longer valid, because the amount of genetic variation
accounted for by differences between groups is vastly exceeded by the variation that exists within
groups." (Jurmain| Kilgore| Trevathn, Human Origins, Pg. 314) This means that the genetic
differences within a group of people may vary, changing the size, shape, and color of different
traits, such as the head, or eyes. Genetic variances make it hard to put several people into one
group or "race".
“We propose that concepts of race are culturally transmitted. This is in line with social
constructionists’ reliance on traditional theories of social learning, that is, with the idea that the
concept of race is acquired from one’s social environment.” (Social Construction and the
Concept of Race pg. 1215) ""Race" thus evolved as a worldview, a body of prejudgment that
distorts our ideas about human differences and group behavior."
(http://www.aaanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm) Even though we try not to be judgmental we have
learned basics from our parents, and generations of family members before us, to guide us in to
what we believe and what we think. It almost seems like we are brain washed by our loved
ones. "The racial" worldview was essentially invented to assign some groups to a perpetually
lower status, while others were permitted access to privilege, power, and wealth. The tragedy in
the United States has been that the policies and practices stemming from this worldview
succeeded all too well in constructing unequal populations among Europeans, Native Americans,
and peoples of African descent.
Though the definition of “race” has changed throughout time, most anthropologists have
discontinued the use of the word all together. The main problem with using the word “race” to
define a group of similar people is the biological and social connotations that come with the
word. Biologically people, even though they may be extremely similar, are different.
Genetically no one is exactly the same, so even if we wanted to group individuals together into a
“race” based on their genetics, we wouldn’t be able to. Socially, people like to not think for
themselves and follow the ideas of other people that, in their minds, seems right. This leads to
ethical concerns, regarding the categorization of populations into races. People don’t take into
account, that people are people, even if their background is different.
References
"American Anthropological Association Statement on "Race"" Web.
http://www.aaanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm
Machery, Edouard, and Luc Faucher. "Social Construction and the Concept of Race." Philosophy of
Science 1 Dec. 2005: 1215. Print.
Jurmain, Robert, Lynn Kilgore, and Wenda Trevathan. "Human Variation and Adaptation." Human
Origins. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2013. 313-314.
Andreasen, Robin. "Race: Biological Reality or Social Construct?" 1 Jan. 2000: S654. Print.
Shulman, Julie. "Is Race-Thinking Biological or Social, and Does It Matter for Racism? An
Exploratory Study."Social Philosophy 41.3 (2010): 246. Print.
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