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Sociology Essay On Race And Ethnicity

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Introduction The concept of identity has been a notion of significant interest not just to sociologists and psychologists, but also to individuals found in a social context of perpetually trying to define themselves. Often times, identities are given to individuals based on their social status within a certain community, after the assessment of predominant characteristics that said individual has. However, within the context of an ethnicity, the concept identity is most probably applied to all members of the ethnical group, and not just one individual. When there is one identity designated for the entire group, often times the factor of “individuality” loses its significance, especially when referring to the relationship between the ethnic …show more content…

Race, nationality and ethnicity Race and ethnicity are seen as form of an individual’s cultural identity. Researchers have linked the concept of “race” to the discourses of social Darwinism that in essence is a categorization of “types” of people, grouping them by biological and physical characteristics, most common one being skin pigmentation. Grouping people based on their physical traits has lead in time to the phenomenon of “racialization” (or race formation), as people began to see race as more of a social construct and not a result or a category of biology. Race cannot exist outside of representation, and that it is formed in the conscience of individuals after either a social process (the status of certain people within a society) or by factors such as political power (what laws are imposed on what people) and only then are observable characteristics of an individual transformed into race signifiers. If racialization compartmentalizes people based on a wide range of characteristics, ethnicity takes the concept of categorization to a more precise and static level. Ethnicity is set apart from race as, although still a form of cultural identity, it is a cultural concept focused on the sharing of beliefs, values, norms, cultural symbols and practices and not biological or physical

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While some argue that race is a biological concept, many have rejected that view and instead view race as a social construct. This revised viewpoint stems from the

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Omi and Winant’s theories on racial formation are adopted by Kim to apply to his own theories. He uses the conclusions Omi and Winant made to make the basic claim that the concept of race is very fluid and loosely based. Therefore it is an ever-changing social construct. Most people consider race to be a specific category- something that is indefinitely distinguishable. However one of Kim’s main points is that we should strive to push ourselves away from the way of thinking that focuses on the particularities of race.

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In other words, race is understood differently around the world. According to the text book, in West Africa, people are categorized into racial groups based on the status of having noble ancestry and not physical features. Also, according to the article, “Defining Race”, race is categorized base on individuals’ social class status and wealth. Furthermore, the invention of race reflects social, economic, and political aspects in society. For example, White American who has white and black ancestry will be considered as black because black slaves are free source of labor, and white population want to increase the number of labor.

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Race and Ethnicity Today in society, there is an inequality with races and ethnic backgrounds in the United States. The prejudice judgements have flourished over many generations which causes the world view of racism to become international. There are many differences between race and ethnicity. Race is defined by the color of someone’s skin, society considers people if they are one drop of that race they are considered that race, this is known as the “Drop of Blood” theory, this pertains to a racist theory. Ethnicity is defined by the culture customs of norms and language.

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Sociologists define race as a social construct because society has classified various groups of people based on physical characteristics such as skin color under the assumption that other characteristics would also be similar. This had occurred without any biological proof of correlation. This has also led to faulty belief systems such as racism, ethnocentrism, and the propensity for stereotyping. Fortunately, the intermarriages between races and subsequent procreation has helped cracked the facade of racial differences, at least those that aren't manufactured by society. I have a biracial niece whose father is black and mother is white.

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The need for categorization resulted to race being defined in institutional contexts such as “a group of people who perceive themselves and are perceived by others as possessing distinctive hereditary traits” (Ore, 2014, p.9). With this definition, it becomes easier to group individuals in limited categories, such as by their color. What is important to note is the attached perceptions and assumptions based on one’s racial background; this constitutes the social construct of race. As Ore (2014) explains, we do not create these assumptions due to their biological factors as individual people, but rather as social factors. Social construction of race goes all the way back to when the person is born.

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A very controversial topic of discussion today involves the difference between the biological and social view of race. The biological view sees a population according to traits that are passed down biologically, this is where the term “race” comes from. It would be somewhat accurate to say that people from different parts of the world have some differences biologically. The issue in this argument is found when people see that there may be some differences biologically but try to segregate them into fixed categories. What is found by this is that by assessing this biology and peoples' appearance, you can categorize them into a specific race.

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Race and ethnicity are two terms which are used interchangeably in every day conversation, however, there is a distinction between the two. Race is a categorization of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, often on the basis of phenotype – observable physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, eye shape, or other selective attributes. Race is a social construct and has been known to change with historical and political events. Contrarily, ethnicity does not necessarily provide visual clues, instead, ethnicity is categorized on the basis of a shared common culture and includes elements such as language, norms, customs, religion, music, art, literature. Ethnic Groups are developed by their unique history

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In addition, race has also been used by scientists to classify humans and use science to prove presumed biological differences: “Linking race to biology led to a ‘race science’ that

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When speaking about race its people or a group of people that all have their own features, mainly physical and that sets them apart from each other. Everyone has their own ethnicity and that is something everyone has in common. Sociologists argue this construction concept that it’s something that was created to show

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1. What does the social construction of race and ethnicity mean? The social construction of race and ethnicity deals with the need to have a hierarchy based on skin color, phenotype, and the poking and prodding of humans to scientifically justify their claims that White is the superior race. Though the basis of the conversation of race and ethnicity as a social construct is based on biases, prejudice, and misconceptions about minorities, it was believed in society for many decades because of the rhetoric that was pushed into institutions that helped to further oppress people of color.

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Sociologist that focus on aspects of race agree that it is a slippery slope. It begins with defining race as a social construction. One of the first ways this begins is through the view that race is a myth. It is argued that if race is indeed a myth, that makes it a social construction. Our textbook defines social construction as, "an entity that exists because people behave as if it exists and whose existence is perpetuated as people and social institutions act in accordance with the widely agreed-upon formal rules or informal norms of behavior associated with that entity," (Conley A-11).

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Throughout history social scientists have been trying to examine the different parameters of race in terms of phenotypic characteristics, and cultural behaviors regarding the different groups that society construct’s. legally judges have had different rulings regarding the categorization of different ethnicities and groups within the United States. Many philosophers such as Kwame Appiah, and Scientists such as Dr. James Watson have had opposing arguments on the topic of race and whether it exists or not. In order to do so we need to examine the different definitions of race, and analyze them in order to see how race is a social construct, where people’s notions of race and their interactions with different races determine the way they perceive

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Reflection Précis 1, Race and Ethnicity Part I: During the last lecture sessions, Dr. Jendian talked about appreciating diversity, race, ethnicity, and racism. In his lecture, we learned that many people believe that race is something biological. However, the true reality is that race is a social construct and not a biological one. For example, in the documentary Race: The Power of An Illusion, we were able to understand that there are more variations among people in the same “race” than with people from another “race.” However, physical differences, for example, the most obvious skin color, has created prejudices against minority groups.

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This chapter explains the difference between race and ethnicity and how they came about. It also explains the advantages and disadvantages some have due to the creation of race. Race and ethnicity have strong foundations not only within countries, but between them. Globalization has increased the individual’s ethnic identities, but has also put some at disadvantages. Having different races and ethnicities is not an issue, but ranking the different races and putting others at disadvantages creates issues.

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