Jessica Lovell

The Concept of Race

Throughout history, the definition of the word race has developed
several interpretations from both a biological and social perspective. Many
scholars have proposed their own definition of the word. Sometime around
the 1750s, Carl Linnaeus connected both moral and intellectual values to
skin color. Johann Blumenbach classified the human races into five simple
groups during the 1780s.(1) The definition of race has changed throughout
time and its still changing.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the biological definition
of race is,
An actually or potentially interbreeding group within a species.(3) MerriamWebster also provided that the word race is basically a synonym to the
word breed. In other words, the biological definition of race is, those of the
same species who only breed inside that species.
Race was first recognized by the Europeans when they traveled to
America back in 1492,(3) as noted by anthropology.net. When the Europeans
first encountered the natives of the western hemisphere, they developed a
sense of superiority toward them. Maybe it was because of their Christian
beliefs; by which the Europeans felt it was their moral obligation to convert
and baptize the natives in order to save their souls. Or maybe it was
because, due to the natives apparent primitive and natural lifestyle

Jessica Lovell

compared to that of the European culture, the Europeans honestly believed

they were superior in all aspects.
The problem with this theory however is before the Europeans traveled
to America, they were introduced to the natives from Africa in part due to the
trade routes. Which poses the question, What was different from the Native
Americans that sparked the beginning of racial hierarchy?(3) Nonetheless,
European expansion and racial mistreatment of the native populations are
inseparable during this particular time in history.
Tracey E. Ore described the definition of race as, A group of people
who perceive themselves and are perceived by others as possessing
distinctive hereditary traits.(2) In a simpler social definition by Michael
Banton, race is, A group of people who share similar and distinct physical
characteristics.(5)
It is human nature to categorize things. Although categorizing people
by the color of their skin may be the origin behind race, it is not a
justification for mistreatment or cruel behavior. Many of us categorize social
status based upon appearance even though we try to deny that this is the
case.
As the anthropology.net source proposes, racial categorization is, A
coping mechanism for status.(4) The clothing we wear, the quality of our hair,
the color of our skin: these are all factors that come into play. While some of

Jessica Lovell

these things can be helped, the color of our skin cannot despite harmful
actions such as tanning or bleaching.
Society has created certain stereotypes and attributed them to certain
races. The problem with stereotypes is just that it is a stereotype; to believe
unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same.
(3)

As Martin Luther King Junior so beautifully put it, people should not be
judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Society has conditioned individuals to think a certain way. Even though
society has taught individuals to believe certain things about certain people,
it is an important lesson to learn; one cannot judge an entire race or ethnic
group based upon the actions of a select few.
Just recently National Geographic predicted what the average
American will look like in the year 2050. The magazine published a series of
photos of actual people with interracial heritage. Each person in these photos
showed distinct characteristics of multiple nationalities and races. In doing
so, National Geographic further supports their prediction that the average
American will be of mixed race in as little as 35 years.
The Higher Learning article stated that the year 2000 was the first time
the Census Bureau offered the option for people to select more than one
race.(6) As a matter of fact, Census statistics show that over 6.8 million

Jessica Lovell

people did so.(6) By 2010, that number had increased by more than 30
percent.(6)
Race is still an important factor of our heritage and culture. However,
over recent years nearly 8.4 percent of all current U.S. marriages are
interracial.(6) In the next 150 years, the entire United States of America could
very well become completely multiracial. If this becomes the case, there
wont be any room for racial stereotypes or discrimination because there
wont be a single group to associate a single person to.
The ethical concerns in categorizing populations by race is that not
everyone in a population belongs to one specific race especially here in the
United States. America has always been referred to as a melting pot of
different cultures, ethnicities, and races. Everyone in America has migrated
from somewhere else in the world. In theory, even the Native Americans
migrated from Siberia to America across Bering Strait. As populations and
people become more interracial and diverse, so does the definition of race.
The definition of race is changing, and so should our reasoning behind it.

Jessica Lovell

Reference Page
1. Jurmain, Kilgore, Trevathan. Essentials of Physical Anthropology, 9th
Edition. 2013.
2. Tracey E. Ore. The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality:
Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. August 4, 2005
3. Merriam-Webster, Inc. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th
Edition. July 1, 2003.
4. Posted by tashaspawn. The Concept of Race. Anthropology.net. June
30, 2008
5. Michael Banton. Social Aspects of the Race Question. The Race
Question. Unesco. 1969.
6. Mbiyimoh Ghogomu. The Higher Learning. April 13, 2014.

Jessica Lovell

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