Socially Informative Essay: Is Race A Modern Construct?

What is race? How many races are there? What are the genes that separate each race? How many genes are there? What do evolutionists, scientists, or anthropologists have to say about race? And even more importantly, what role does race play in your life? When I was a young boy maybe 6 or 7 years old, I had a friend of a different race who was particularly interested in answering the unsolved mysteries of our world. He explained to me that he was made "some place different than black boys." I took a good look at the both of us and determined that this must be correct. As I grew older, I felt ashamed and embarrassed that I ever believed this. And as I got even older, I started to question whether or not other people were told the same story.

In chapter four of Racial Formation in the United States, written by Michael Omi and Howard Winant, discuss their “Theory of Racial Formation.” The authors first define to the audience what race means to them. They state that “race is a way of ‘making up people,’” however, this can cause to confusion and contradiction in prior definitions of race. (Omi Winant, 2015) When one tries to classify other individuals race then is can be “othering,” which means putting differing groups of people in their own category. It is common to see “gender, class, sexuality, religion, culture, language, nationality, and age” among the factors that lead to discrimination or stereotyping. (Omi Winant, 2015) Placing individuals in their specific group is always subject to change, because there is always a “variation over historical time and space.” (Omi Winant, 2015) Each and every definition of a group of people can be interpreted differently and that is what causes the gap of misunderstanding. Most higher educations are explaining race differently, as a social constructions rather than a classification of a mass.

The title of the paper intends to raise awareness about the large number of historians and activists still struggling to clearly define their understanding of racial identities. Given the complex use of the term “race” in biology, in everyday life, and in the social sciences, this does not come as a surprise. However, without properly addressing issues of historical and present understandings of race, both scholars and activists run the risk of reinforcing rather than challenging racial misconceptions.

Whether it’s filling out forms for the doctor, financial aid, or even job applications, the one question that we almost unconsciously answer is the question of race. Race is a prevalent and influential part of our everyday life that surprisingly many do not even understand. What is race? For years race has been used as a tool in the subjugation of human populations on the perceived notion of biological superiorities. Race by definition is a population “that develops distinct characteristics differing from other populations of the same species”, while these variations may have social and cultural implications, genetic evidence suggests race has no biological significance (Biology-online.org, 2014).

Race has been a controversial topic for many years. Depending on your race it can be a blessing or a misfortune. According, to articles such as “Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race” or “Race: Is It a Valid Issue?” they all come to the conclusion that race is a social construct because race cannot be determined by genetics or the color of the skin. There is no such thing as subspecies we are all human beings. Yet, for many years’ people of European ancestry (whites) have committed monstrous acts towards people of color. Whites enslaved people of color tearing countless families apart, and taking away liberties that every human being should possess. As the issue of race continues, many laws have been implemented as an attempt to mitigate white supremacy; however, alongside with each successful attempt, white supremacy continues prevailing.

On January 26, class begun by Dr. Mullins asking the class to spend the first few minutes answering the question what is race? The term race is difficult to define as a result of the belief that it is “racist” to talk about race. Although how do we know what race is if we do not discuss it within society. After much thought I defined race as an individual’s background that may be used to describe their ancestor’s demographics as well as their religion. However, today people tend to put more emphasis on race being the color of an individual’s skin. As discussed in class society does not understand what race is, but for some reason it is important to us. Deep down race is a social construction that we make exist through our behavior. It is important to educate people about race to help break down these boundaries society has created. If we created it we can demolish it, and education is key.

I used to think that race was a social construct more of a biological reality until I read all these articles. They changed my perspective and I have come to realize different things. My opinion is now divided into two; I am in that middle point where I can see both ways of the argument as valid and reasonable and agree with both. First, I will explain why I think it is a biological reality, then, I will explain why it can also be a social construct, and lastly how have these debates shaped the views about the nature of ethnicity and consequently defined ethnic identity. We have to avoid viewing either explanation with a negative meaning. The negative history that comes attached to the word “race” is what I think makes us be defensive whenever we hear it and close ourselves up to any reasonable answer we might have to the question, is it a biological reality or a social construct?

Charles W. Mills argues that even if there is no biological notion of race that can underwrite our social one, our social one still has some objectivity to it. He provides details for many hypothetical and real life instances in order to back up his argument. My view, along with Mills’, is that race is socially constructed, and has been socially constructed long before I even had an opinion on the topic. I will explore every avenue of what Mills offers on the topic and will formulate a further opinion based on each subject individually.

Attention must be given to the idea that race is a social construct. For the purposes of this

The laws and policies that were put in place became a problem for the very same white man that made the laws so the white man felt the need to go against those laws to keep his child. The theory of racial formation sees the constriction of race as a contested process of on-going conflict Omi and Winant (1994:74). The theory of racial formation also insists the ‘reality’ of race despite its origins a social construction. ” race can be defined as a concept that signifies and symbolises socio-political conflicts and interests in reference is different of human bodies winant(2004:155).

In lecture, our class grappled with the concept of race as a cultural construction, and how the issues that derive from race only have meaning because we assign it to them; mankind could have chosen anything to classify themselves, but somehow settled on skin color. In the words of Clifford Geertz, “man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun” – racism would be one of those webs that humanity has tangled itself up in (qtd. in Hickman). We have studied race as a mythical reality, and racism as a cultural model that people have adopted in order to deal with the complexities of the past.

When we talk about race, what are we really talking about? The issue of race is a complex issue, with socially ambiguous undertones that have plagued our society for decades. Race has been a marker and maker of stereotypes. Race has been used as a justification for injustice. Whether slavery, Japanese internment, or social and economic exclusion, race has given an avenue for those in power to exclude ones deemed ‘other’. In the following paragraphs I will examine the premise of race and try to demonstrate why it is a social construct.

In today’s world it seems that everyone likes to say that race no longer matters. Though the opposite appears to be true. Race is everywhere - police violence is associated with one race, gang violence is viewed in particular races and so on. In our society the concept of race continues to persist because it is the first thing you notice about an individual when meeting for the first time.

-The authors talked about how race is socially constructed and operationalized, I think this very true, people should think about it before seeing someone who’s in a different “race” from his different or dangerous.

According to Boyd and Silk, “race means different things to different people” (388). But is race something we can base of physical traits, or is more complicated than just looks? By examining evidence from the American Anthropological Association and Boyd and Silk, we can see that race is more than skin color. “The common view of race is bad biology” (Boyd and Silk 2015: 388).