What is race as a concept?
|
Race and ethnicity are two concepts related to human ancestry. Race is defined as “a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits.” The term ethnicities is more broadly defined as “large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background.” Show “Race” is usually associated with biology and linked with physical characteristics such as skin color or hair texture. “Ethnicity” is linked with cultural expression and identification. However, both are social constructs used to categorize and characterize seemingly distinct populations.  ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)Peter G. Prontzos is professor emeritus of political science and interdisciplinary studies at Langara College in Vancouver, Canada. What kind of concept is race?Definition of Race
Race is conceived as a biological, genetically determined concept. However, this scientific concept has been increasingly challenged. First, it has been argued that the continued use of the term 'race' exacerbates the problems of racism.
What does the concept of race refer to?Race refers to the concept of dividing people into groups on the basis of various sets of physical characteristics and the process of ascribing social meaning to those groups. Ethnicity describes the culture of people in a given geographic region, including their language, heritage, religion and customs.
What is the concept of race in sociology?Race is a human classification system that is socially constructed to distinguish between groups of people who share phenotypical characteristics.
Is race a valid concept?Because of the overlapping of traits that bear no relationship to one another (such as skin colour and hair texture) and the inability of scientists to cluster peoples into discrete racial packages, modern researchers have concluded that the concept of race has no biological validity.
|
