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Judgment Essay: Definition And Concept Of Race In The United States

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Section 3: Judgment Essay What is “race”? When some people use the term “race” they attach a biological meaning, yet still, others use race as a socially constructed concept. Race is used to describe a group of people who perceive themselves and are perceived by others as possessing distinctive, hereditary traits. The concept of race gives the ability to classify people, while showing the biological foundations of humans, and expressing how the genetic foundation is passed from generation to generation. Race is a term used to understand where a person comes from. The use and concept of race is not just a term that is used in the United States, but globally it is how the world identifies people. The concept of race, which is still popular today, exists naturally, to give understanding where humans’ hereditary traits, are captured by terms like Black, White, and Asian. …show more content…

According to Eubanks, author of Color Lines, which is a story about race and identity, “Most [people] embraced the newly found diversity that their DNA test revealed, and none felt that ancestry testing had changed their personal identities.” Eubanks lets us know at this point, that even though we are able to find out specifically where we come from through DNA testing that will not change our mindsets of what we perceive ourselves as. In biology, the different types of race are genetically distinct populations within the same species; they typically have minor exterior and genetic differences. There are small genetic variations across the globe that engenders diverse physical appearances, such as variations in skin

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According to Stuart Hall race is a floating signifier. Hall defines a signifier as a concept in which a word is given is a specific meaning based on society and culture (Hall, 1997). The word race would have no meaning at all if it was not for the events that shaped the word to what it is today. When the word race is used, it causes uneasiness in the room due to the range of people it affects. Hall believes that race is deemed to be negative not because of the events associated with the word, but rather the phrases and statements associated with the word race.

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Race is a divisive factor in many populations. It is a concept to categorize people based on their physical traits, such as skin color, and genetics. Race can be used as a mechanism for social division. As the novel unfolds, Huckleberry Finn’s perspective on race changes as he sees the importance for equality in Mark Twain’s, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

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Continuing our discussion regarding cultural diversity, students were asked to discuss the primary problems with the concept of race. Additionally, what are the social and political implications of using race to define and study groups of people? McNamara and Burns (2009) defined race as a “social phenomenon in which biological differences become markers of status within a social system” (p.6). We are essentially viewing a person for their differences that separates us from one another which in turn creates a stereotype.

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