...many debates on whether or not race is socially or biologically constructed. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, biological realism was the dominant view. Races were assumed to be biologically objective categories (Andreasen 2000, 653). However, in the middle of the 20th century, this point of view changed and today most theorists favour the view that races are socially constructed (Andreasen 2000, 654). Throughout my paper, I will argue that race is not a biological construct, but rather a socially/ culturally constructed one. It includes an incentive inside humanity which makes each race extraordinary. As humans we are not born the person we become, throughout our life, we develop certain traits that...
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...In this reflection, I’m going to speak on my experience with attending the speaker series event and listening to Rosa Clemente speak. Before this particular event, I had no clue as who she was but I was still open to hearing her speak and what exactly she was going to speak about. After hearing her speak, the three concepts that stuck in my mind were the controversies with identify politics, race being a social construct, and the issues surrounding climate change. Generally, when I don’t know a concept, I tend to do background research in order to better understand and speak on that concept which is what occurred with my understanding of identify politics. “The laden phrase ‘identity politics’ has come to signify a wide range of political activity and theorizing founded in the shared experiences of injustice of members of certain social groups” (Heyes, 2012). To simplify it, identity politics is basically a political approach that is taken when discussing people of a certain social group. This stuck with...
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...children with each other. So, our differences biologically are superficial, hair texture, some ailments which tend to be environmental, and skin color. Those who want to dismiss the notion of the social construction of race normally do so due to their inherent bias to attribute dysfunctional behavior in minority communities due to a racial makeup instead of addressing more systemic problems that plague these communities. Countless studies reveal that lower income people of all groups tend to follow the same negative trajectory. Racism is the belief that one race or culture is superior to another, regardless of biological evidence that negates this belief. This difference – the perceived inferiority of one race over another – is commonly used and abused as basis for discrimination, whether institutionalized or individualized through social construction. The widespread societal and institutional changes in America since the 1960s have done little to eliminate discrimination faced by racial minorities even after the election of a black president. Race is not just a social construction but a historical construction that has been embedded into each of our lives through social classes and institutions since the day we were born. “Even though race is constructed through historic meanings and social interactions it is as much a part of our national character as themes of patriotism.” (Defending Whiteness, 8) Minorities historically have had less access to quality education. Less access...
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...writing, he first explains the role of race throughout societies. His statements are quite to the point when getting his first argument across, insinuating that race is always a role that is in play with how different societies govern. These initial statements make up the foundation for his claims pertaining to the “invisibility” of whiteness. He continues to mention that when one studies race theory, majority of the people remain uninterested in white imagery. People more often than take an interest in non-white imagery. In turn, there seems to be a separation between white imagery and the term “race”, it is almost as though race does not included white heritages. White people are simply that, just people in normal social...
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...Definition of Race Race is a group of people of common ancestry, distinguished from others by physical characteristics, such as hair type, the color of eyes and skin. Race as a social construction is changing as time goes on. Our daily lives are affected by race whether we are aware of it or not. We can see all over the world that race has affected various domains of our lives. From the types of jobs we have the amount of money we make, the kinds of friends we keep, the food we eat and even the schools we will attend. The entire foundation of race is constructed on a platform based on the color of people’s skin. The construction of social reality is based on social groups and the agreements and disagreements that are made based on the acceptance of certain constructions when it comes to our existence. There is nothing biologically real about race. I have learned that that there is no certain identification of race that exists from our collective agreements, acceptance, and positions other than our existing with one another. Race is a social construction that has real consequences and effects. Race shapes the way we view ourselves and those around us. We shouldn’t have an objective knowledge about race. We can know what race is and how it works being aware that regardless of the various shifts in the meaning of race that they have occurred through history and going to occur geographically but this should not lead to skepticism and the destruction of positive social constructions...
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...Since the colonial era, the term ‘race’ has undergone significant evolution in its definition and significance. ‘Race’ was initially used for the sole purpose of categorizing people into a group that they had an ancestral or familial connection to. However, the concept of race later became the primary justification for slavery and has been used for centuries to argue for white superiority while diminishing the value of people of other races. Race was not always the defining characteristic of a person’s merit in the colonies. “The Story We Tell” states that in the early 1600s, the concepts of religion and wealth were used to categorize people into different hierarchical groups. As referenced in Katheryn Gin Lum’s writing, people who did not...
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...discrimination, and the desire to eradicate the disputes, the struggles and the torment associated with racism. As of now, I may stand before you as an individual identified to be of Asian ethnicity, but I hope to leave you as an individual of the human race. When we are born, we are born into a racist society. People generate implicit assumptions of other people based on outer appearance. People discriminate against people and you can't deny that race ultimately plays a role in that process of discrimination. White people can't dance. All Asians are geniuses and know kungfu. All African Americans are good at basketball. All Indians eat is curry. The racial judgments are endless and the world is full of it. Some people live in fear, knowing that their every move is being observed and judged. Some people live in fear, knowing that they'll be mocked and ostracised. Some people live in fear...and others provoke this fear. But the basis of this fear is non-existent. It is flimsy, hypothetical, whimsical and groundless. Let me tell you why. In 1950, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation released a document which recognises that mankind is one and also that all humans belong to the same race and species. No matter what 'race' we come from, we are not different to each other. I believe...
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...Representation Of Race In Media * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Much of our perceptions of the world are based on narratives and the images that we see in film, television, radio, music, and other media. These are some of the outlets that construct how individuals see their social identities, as well as learn and understand about what it is to be black, white, Native American, Asian, South American, etc. (Dow, Wood, 2006, p. 297). You will get a better understanding of this once you understand the concept of ideologies. Ideologies are what create our perception of the world around us, whether it is political, social, economic, etc. Ideologies are not the product of individual intention or conscious, rather we create our intentions within ideology (Marris, Thornham, 2000, p. 267). These ideologies exist before we are even born; they form the social constructions and conditions that we are born into. But, ideologies are just a practice, and it is produced and reproduced in apparatus of ideological production. The media is a great example of an apparatus of ideological production (Marris, Thornham, 2000, p. 273). It produces social meanings and distributes them throughout society. However, as long as ideologies continue so will social struggles such as racism, which we will discuss in this essay. Media elites represent different races through media based on their ideologies. This has a predominant influence on the social constructions...
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...Running head: SUBTLE BIAS SHARED WITHIN AN AMERICAN SOCIAL CONSTRUCT Subtle Bias as a Social Construct In America May 28, 2012 Abstract An understanding of the subtle bias that affects our society is a form of humanistic deception. Although the norms in America appear to be uniform; we will see that biases are influenced by various social factors such as stereotype, prejudice, discrimination, and labeling including the Attribution Theory. This paper will compare and contrast scientific literature to gain more insight into the subtlety of this social construct. I am seeking not to understand the reason why we as social beings are bias, but to simply show that this distorted truth exist. Subtle Bias as a Social Construct In America My theory of unconscious bias along with the self-affirmation process that accompanies it clouds our worldview in our present society. We all do it no matter how accepting we appear to be or even claim to be. Irrational thoughts are usually based on a worldview that illustrates our interpretation of the world we live in (Wilson, 2001). This worldview is a set of assumptions and beliefs that we hold on to that guide our behavior. It helps us to make sense out of our lives. It determines what we think about human nature, causes of emotional issues, and where bias comes from (Entwistle, 2004). There is always some form of discriminatory behavior or covert prejudice prevailing within our essence. Unfortunately, there is a strong manipulative...
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...teachers Celeste Alfred, for welcoming me to her school, and Vickie Braud for her great help in making contacts necessary to complete my data collection. Both Vickie and Celeste were wonderful throughout my research process, helping me to observe classes and arrange student interviews at the schools. I greatly appreciate all the suggestions, insights and comments of my committee members. Thank you to all of them: Dr. Kuttruff, my external committee member, for her interest in following the steps of my dissertation; Dr. Magill, for bringing a very challenging and valuable perspective to my research; Dr. Lee, for her deep knowledge and expertise in the field of physical education; and Dr. Harrison, for his mentoring and expertise on issues of race and physical activity. Dr. Harrison, I have greatly appreciated, valued, and enjoyed all of our conversations (and in four years there were many) and sharing experiences on this topic. I want to thank my minor professor, Dr. MunroHendry, for guiding me to understand the complex world of the “Curriculum Theory Project,”...
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...What is race? Is race a product of social construct? In short, race can be described as an ideological force. People use the concept of race as defining and differentiating one group of people from another. In reality, race is merely a made up concept, and the differentiating traits are varying physical phenotypes. So why does the idea of race exist within society? Darder and Torres would argue that the existence of race is likely due to the “race relations paradigm”. Race relations can be described as the relations between different “racial and ethnic” groups and societal influences such as politics, economics, and or social issues. How do different classes of people and or minorities relate to these issues? What are the social norms associated between different groups of people (or classes) and these issues? These predetermined notions tend to be harmful in modern society, as they appear to promote segregation, whether inadvertently or intentionally. Throughout history a paradigm has been created within race relations. Meaning that patterns have emerged throughout time when handing racial issues. Oppression continues in differing forms and there is no true acceptance or even acknowledgement when regarding racial issues and stereotypes....
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...Distinguish between the concepts of race and racism. Do you agree that the concept of race is socially constructed? Can you use the conceptual framework for understanding identity to understand racial discrimination? ……………………………………………….....………………………………………………………………………………………… ….………………………..………………………………………………………………………….......................................................... To answer the following question, we would go through a re-interpretation of the word race. Followed by the biological, historical and social aspects of race from where race becomes racism (idea of social construction which in itself contains the notion of Identity). When we claim the view of race on identity, we are slowly drifted to the currents of Ethnicity. Race is a modern concept. The English language didn‟t even have the word „Race‟ until 1508 when William Dunbar referred race to a lineage of Kings in his poem. Historical records show that neither the idea nor ideologies of race existed before the seventeenth century. We will now randomly take up a definition of Race, keep it as a base for understanding and then reinterpret it if required. According to “Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy”, the concept of race has historically signified the division of humanity into small number of groups based on five categories. i. Races reflect some type of biological foundations. ii. This biological foundation creates discrete racial groupings such that all people of the same group share the same biological characteristics...
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...Race vs. Class From the time of slavery until the twenty-first century, race has been the driving element regarding opportunities for people of African descent. The question of whether this has changed presently is ambiguous. America has certainly evolved from a place of slavery and segregation to the self-proclaimed “Land of Opportunities” offering equal rights and prospects to all, yet there are still signs of inequality within the social construct of the nation. If one were to take a look at the American work field, they would notice the differences in positions acquired by African-Americans and Caucasians. African-Americans typically work minimum-wage jobs, living paycheck to paycheck and if they are fortunate enough to acquire an adequate paying job; their employers are Caucasians who usually own the major businesses and corporations. This inevitable conflict has emerged from America’s past history of unfair and unequal treatment of people of color. The American society has not completely eradicated the problem with racial discrimination and inequality within the workforce which has created the growing wealth gap. In the United States, issues of race and class are tied to together like a chain of DNA; one cannot address the issue of class without referring to the demographics of race. The methodology of determining the variations in social class was established in the mid-1960s and has not changed in the most latter years. Within the time span, there have been many studies...
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...Limitations Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework Chapter 3: Review of the Literature Chapter 4: Research Methods * The Qualitative Paradigm * Qualitative Methods * The Researcher's Role * Data Sources * Data Collection * Data Analysis * Ethical Considerations Chapter 5: Research Findings Chapter 6: Conclusions, Discussion, and Suggestions for Future Research * Summary * Conclusions * Discussion * Suggestions for Future Research Towards A Phenomenology of Liberation From the very start, I am thus fully endorsing the premise that no account of race can be dissociated from a critique of power and a social historical ontology of ourselves (de Oliveira, 2010, 209). INTRODUCTION I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was in the third grade, I watched as five of my white peers were pulled from class to attend gifted courses. I always wondered why, I, who had always worked hard, was never pulled for what I perceived as reward for hard work and good grades. During the first week of school of my fifth grade year, the same White gifted teacher pulled the same five White students to begin gifted courses. The buzz around the class was that the five elite were preparing for Odyssey of the Mind, which was deemed an honor for the brightest and best in the school....
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...Why is the study of race and ethnic relations important in multi-cultural societies? Many people use the terms race and ethnicity interchangeably, however the distinction must be made. Wilkinson (1993) defines the term, race as “a category of persons who are related by a common heredity or ancestry and who are perceived and responded to in terms of external features or traits,” whereas ethnicity often refers to “a shared culture and lifestyle.” It must be noted that race is social construct rather than biological concept. The fact remains that different societies construct different systems of race classifications and these systems change over time. Ethnic group maybe distinguished on the basis of language, form of family, structure and role of the family members, religious beliefs and customs, forms of artistic expression such as music and dance and national origin. Two individuals with the same racial identity may have different ethnicity for example a black American and a black Jamaican have different culture or ethnic backgrounds. Equally, two individuals with the same ethnic background may identify with different race example Hispanic maybe black or white. In a multicultural society, when society is studied it may be discovered how races and ethnic groups are treated or how they should be treated. The disparity between the ideal and the normal occurrence will allow us to see how the society functions. It would then be impossible to study the society without emphasizing...
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