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The Fallacy of “Race”. How are “races” determined? Who decides?. Is there such a thing as. A Middle-eastern “race?” North African “race ?” A Puerto Rican race? A Russian “race?”. Where are the “racial” dividing lines and why?.
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Is there such a thing as . . . • A Middle-eastern “race?” • North African “race?” • A Puerto Rican race? • A Russian “race?”
True or False?According to the Scientific American article, scientists widely observe race as a social construct, not a biological reality.
Racial division lines have been socially and politically drawn, not genetically drawn.And they have been drawn by people in power.
Current Census Form • The main purpose of identifying “race” in the Census has been to determine how these social categories impact people’s lives, develop government programs, etc. However, using the term “race” reinforces the mythology of the term. • The current census form does not identify a “Middle-eastern” race. • However, recent political concern about people from the Middle-east has resulted in proposals to make “Middle Eastern and Northern Africa” a “race.”
Proposed Revised Form • Adds Middle Easter or North African origins. • No longer uses the term “race.”
Ancestory.com DNA tests report ancestory from myriad geographic locations, not categories of so-called “race.” • Scientists agree that geography is much more meaningful than “racial” categories, which are not genetically based.
How is “ethnicity” different? • “The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.”
In the West, race is thought to be a matter of skin color, which is an unscientific way of classifying people. • However, even though there are no real biological markers to define “race,” people live with real social conditions that result from the categorization.
Is Dwayne Johnson “Black?” (He identifies as African-American and Samoan.)
Are thesepeople“Black?” • Gabrielle Reece, volleyball star (father: African-Trinidadian) • Wentworth Miller, TV(father: African-American and EuropeanMiller is Identified as “an American actor”)
How aboutthese? • Mariah Carey(Father: African-American and Venezuelan ) • Derek Jeter, Baseball Player(Father: African-American)
Rashida Jones(Quincy Jones’ daughter) • Nicole Richie(Father: Peter Michael EscovedoAdopted Father: Lionel Richie)
Jessica Szohr, Gossip Girl(Hungarian, African-American, Caucasian) • Adriana Lima, Victoria’s Secret Angel (African, West Indian, Japanese, and Portuguese)
TroianBellisario, Pretty Little Liars(mother: African-Am TV producer) • Daniel Sunjata, TV(half African-American)
Origins of the word “Caucasian” were unscientific When anthropologists first started theorizing about “race,” white supremacy was assumed, and anthropologists were white. Skin color equated to social status. Many of the original ideas about “race,” which are now debunked, are still widely believed today. • The term "Caucasian race" was coined by the German philosopher Christoph Meiners in his The Outline of History of Mankind (1785). • Meiners acknowledged two races: the Caucasian or beautiful, and the Mongolian or ugly. His Caucasian race encompassed all of the ancient and most of the modern native populations of Europe, the aboriginal inhabitants of West Asia (including the Phoenicians, Hebrews and Arabs), the autochthones of Northern Africa (Berbers, Egyptians, Abyssinians and neighboring groups), the Indians, and the ancient Guanches. • In his earlier racial typology, Meiners put forth that Caucasians had the "whitest, most blooming and most delicate skin.” In a series of articles, Meiners boasts about the superiority of Germans among Europeans, and describes non-German Europeans' color as "dirty whites", in an unfavorable comparison with Germans. Such views were typical of early proto-scientific attempts at racial classification, where skin pigmentation was regarded as the main difference between races. This view was shared by the French naturalist Julien-Joseph Virey, who believed that the Caucasians were only the palest-skinned Europeans. • It was Johann Friedrich Blumenbach who gave the term a wider audience, by grounding it in the new methods of craniometry and Linnean taxonomy. Blumenbach did not credit Meiners with his taxonomy, however, claiming to have developed it himself – although his justification clearly points to Meiners' aesthetic viewpoint of Caucasus origins. “Caucasian variety – I have taken the name of this variety from Mount Caucasus, both because its neighborhood, and especially its southern slope, produces the most beautiful race of men, I mean the Georgian; and because all physiological reasons converge to this, that in that region, if anywhere, it seems we ought with the greatest probability to place the autochthones (original members) of mankind.” --Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (who actually got the idea from ChristopMeiners’ writings and did not credit him).
T or F: All humans are biologically identical. • True • False
T or F: Blue-eyed people are biologically different from hazel-eyed people. • True • False
T or F: Blue-eyed people are biologically a different race from hazel-eyed people. • True • False
T or F: People with light skin are of a different race than people with dark skin. • True. • False.
The black race of people should be treated equally to the white race of people. • True • False • There is no such thing as a black race and a white race, biologically speaking.
The Middle-eastern race of people should be treated equally to the African race of people. • True • False • There is no such thing as a Middle-eastern race of people or the African race of people, biologically speaking.
True or False: The African race of people should be treated equally to the Caucasian race of people. • True • False • There is no such thing as an African race and a Caucasian race, biologically speaking.
People with dark skin should be treated equally to people with light skin. • True • False
A trick question:All Americans are African-Americans • True • False
Human Migration • Human Population Through TimeAmerican Natura History Museum • More Detailed Human Migration Animation
How Some People’s Skin Lightened • A study in Nature found that about 7,000 years ago, European skin started to lighten, because of a cereal-rich diet that lacked Vitamin D. Lighter-skinned people were able to absorb more vitamin D from the sun to compensate for dietary deficiencies.
Physical Anthropology Categories(based on skull characteristics: still used by forensic anthropology, along with gender distinctions, height, and weight—which can be interpreted by bone remains) • Caucasoid • Negroid • Mongoloid
Which term is more respectful of a person’s full identity? • “people of color” • “colored people”
Which term is more respectful of a person with a disability? • Disabled people • People with disabilities
Why do some people prefer to be called: • A person with different abilities • A person with varied abilities Why do some people prefer to be calleda person with a disability?
