Does Race Does Not Exist Biologically
Lancaster 1
Joy Lancaster
Anthropology 4
Paper #2
October 19, 2010
Does Race Exist?
Race does not exist biologically, but it does exist as an abstract social construct. The definition or meaning of race is different depending on the ideas and beliefs within a culture. One important factor in using the term race is to not get it confused with ethnicity or culture. The difficulty that some people have with characterizing ethnicity or culture is that they associate it with race, whereas that is not the case. They are all remarkably distinct. The term race shouldn’t exist or be used because it is derived from perception not scientific classification. The term race also promotes racism and racial profiling.
Anthropology is the field in which …show more content…
Many physical anthropologists now believe that, because there is as much genetic variation among the members of any given race as there is between the groups identified as different races, the concept of race is unscientific and unsound and racial categories are arbitrary.”(1)
Race, however, is used as a socio-political category in many countries, including the United States. Historically, race has been used to create a hierarchy of races, with Caucasians at the top, but in current times, the term race has migrated away from this. In a lot of societies, race affects your life chances. These are the chances of getting opportunities and gaining experience for progression. The social construction of race is based on privileges and availability of resources. Looking at society and the formation of race in a historical context in America, whites have always held some sort of delusional belief of a “white-skin privilege.” This advantage grants whites an advantage in society whether one desires it or not. In Brazil, dark skin correlates with poverty and this affects their racial classification …show more content…
It is racism that has made race something tangible. This results into prejudice and worse ethnic discrimination. This leads to the destruction of culture through assimilation, ethnocide, or
Lancaster 3 even historically at its worst has led to mass genocides all out of reaction to prejudice against a certain “race”.
It is necessary to separate and distinguish race completely from other realistic terms such as ethnicity or culture. Race is an abstract term derived from the judgment, predisposition, and beliefs of a society. It should not exist or be used as a factual term. Race should not be used because it divides use into groups. By dividing "races”, racism came into existence. Even though, biologically, people of the same "race" can be very different from each other while two people of different "races" may be very similar, proves race to be a false term.
Lancaster 4
Table of
Joy Lancaster
Anthropology 4
Paper #2
October 19, 2010
Does Race Exist?
Race does not exist biologically, but it does exist as an abstract social construct. The definition or meaning of race is different depending on the ideas and beliefs within a culture. One important factor in using the term race is to not get it confused with ethnicity or culture. The difficulty that some people have with characterizing ethnicity or culture is that they associate it with race, whereas that is not the case. They are all remarkably distinct. The term race shouldn’t exist or be used because it is derived from perception not scientific classification. The term race also promotes racism and racial profiling.
Anthropology is the field in which …show more content…
Many physical anthropologists now believe that, because there is as much genetic variation among the members of any given race as there is between the groups identified as different races, the concept of race is unscientific and unsound and racial categories are arbitrary.”(1)
Race, however, is used as a socio-political category in many countries, including the United States. Historically, race has been used to create a hierarchy of races, with Caucasians at the top, but in current times, the term race has migrated away from this. In a lot of societies, race affects your life chances. These are the chances of getting opportunities and gaining experience for progression. The social construction of race is based on privileges and availability of resources. Looking at society and the formation of race in a historical context in America, whites have always held some sort of delusional belief of a “white-skin privilege.” This advantage grants whites an advantage in society whether one desires it or not. In Brazil, dark skin correlates with poverty and this affects their racial classification …show more content…
It is racism that has made race something tangible. This results into prejudice and worse ethnic discrimination. This leads to the destruction of culture through assimilation, ethnocide, or
Lancaster 3 even historically at its worst has led to mass genocides all out of reaction to prejudice against a certain “race”.
It is necessary to separate and distinguish race completely from other realistic terms such as ethnicity or culture. Race is an abstract term derived from the judgment, predisposition, and beliefs of a society. It should not exist or be used as a factual term. Race should not be used because it divides use into groups. By dividing "races”, racism came into existence. Even though, biologically, people of the same "race" can be very different from each other while two people of different "races" may be very similar, proves race to be a false term.
Lancaster 4
Table of