Download What does Race Mean?

Essay
• Begin Reading Mama Lola
• Themes: Race, Religion, Healing,
Gender, Colonialism, Refugees,
Transnationalism
• Not a research paper
• Discuss your topic with me
• Look at the paper-writing guide
What does Race Mean?
March 21, 2005
What does Race Mean?
• A system for sorting people into
categories.
• Two factors
– Identifiable Characteristics
– Meaning
Race is a Modern Idea
• Ancient societies (Greeks, Egyptians,
Romans, etc.) divided people according
to religion, class, status or language,
not physical difference.
• English word for race doesn’t appear
until 1508.
Race is not Genetic
• No characteristic, gene or trait
separates members of one “race” from
another.
• Traits we associate with race do not
vary coterminously.
Human Subspecies don’t Exist
• Humans species is not old enough
• Human populations are not isolated
enough
• Humans are one of the most genetically
similar of all species.
Skin Color is only Skin Deep
• Genes for skin color have nothing to do
with genes for hair type, eye shape,
blood type, talents or abilities.
• Knowing someone’s skin color doesn’t
necessarily tell you anything else about
them.
Most Variations are Within, not
Between Races
• There is very little variation within the
human species.
• 85% of that variation can be found
within any one local population
• Two randomly selected Koreans may be
as genetically different as a Korean and
an Italian.
Slavery Predates Race
• Human societies have enslaved one
another throughout history
• Based on conquest, debt or other
circumstances
• North America’s slave trade is a unique
set of historical circumstances
Race and Freedom are Linked
Historically
• American “equality” was a new concept
• Early economy based on slavery
• Race helped explain the denial of rights
to some members of society
Race “Naturalized”
Inequalities
• Social inequalities among races was
justified as “common sense” based on
“natural” or “biological” understanding of
race
• American Indians, war against Mexico,
excluding Asian immigrants,
institutionalized racism
Race: not biological but still
real
• A powerful social idea
• Gives people different access to
opportunity and resources
• In U.S. advantages disproportionately
channeled to white people
Colorblindness is not Equality
• Pretending race doesn’t exist will not
undo centuries of inequality.