Posting by Boeun Kim (김보은)_W10

Race and Ethnicity

 

summary:

 # Definition

  Race is defining groups according to looked figures through eye directly such as skin color or facial characteristics. So racial classification is made by biological characteristics and this ‘race’ notion can make individual’s identity and social status. Ethnicity is mental characteristics of some groups such as nationality tribe, religious faith, shared language, shared culture, and shared traditions. Shared history and culture of some groups affect their ethnicity.

The definition of race have been changed through medieval times and imperialism era. In past, some definition of race argue that race decide intelligence or morality and that is no change. And this thinks come down to racist who believe that specific race superior than other race.

 

 # Social construct or biological lineage?

 

  Social construction is a notion that race is just artificial definition by people so think that classification is meaningless. This focus individual’s self-defining ethnicity. On the other hand, some sociologists insist that individual’s genetic data relate to their identity. The controversy of both perspectives are on going. Nevertheless, there are genetic differences which relate to vulnerability of diseases. So there are some people who agree that using race to biomedical parts for researching correlation between specific gene and specific diseases.

 

# Prejudice, bias, and discrimination

 

  Prejudice is pre-judging something before actual experience. especially, it is the negative view about individual or groups often based on social stereotypes. It affect discrimination, but two notion are different. Discrimination is reinforced notion of prejudice. Prejudice can be taught, socialized, or conveyed through other means, like mass media. Bias can develop through pronounced negative interactions with the stereotyped groups. However, some sociologists have argued that prejudices and biases can be seen as necessary human adaptations facilitating survival

 

# Racism

 

  Some thinks such as “a certain race is inherently superior or inferior to others” or “the actual treating of individuals differently based on their racial classification” are recognized racism. It is anti-human right notion. Expression of racism exists various way: Structural racism, Cultural racism, Historical racism, Racial profiling, and Color-blind racism. Structural racism refers to inequalities built into an organization or system. Cultural racism. And serious racism made big genocides. One response to these racism has been way of Affirmative Action.

Interesting point :

 

  This time, I thought about racism. According to part of combining approaches, perhaps the best way to understand race is to recognize that the socially constructed boundaries and biological/genetic elements overlap. But, unfortunately, human tend to focuses on negative things like conflicts. There are people who use the notion to look down on or ridicule others because of differences such as looking or thinks. I think the notion of ‘racism’ is maybe fundamentally discriminative notion from birth.