12 Aug 2022

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The social constructs of the race

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Academic level: College

Paper type: Coursework

Words: 603

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A race is explained as a group of human beings that share social qualities and or physical qualities that are generally viewed as distinct by the society. For many years race has been explained biologically for what is currently understood to be a difference in social and cultural factors. The idea of race defined as black or white ignores directly the scope of human diversity. A sociologist by the name Du Bois believes that race is a social construct that has no meaning in a biological context. He disagrees with scientists that race can be classified as white and black. The social construct is generally an opinion be people or an idea that has been accepted by the people in a certain society. For many years people have accepted the idea that race is a distinction of people who share a similar culture and values. 

The fact that sociologist believes that it has been accepted by people in that way. A race is a shared and accepted belief that is supported by political realities. Politicians across the globe have supported the idea of race being a social construct and that has no scientific explanation. In the United States race has matters in both individual and social aspects, and that race has been socially constructed (Anderson, 2008). Political realities have always made the society to believe that people are not living in a post-racial society with valuable historical links. In some states, people believe that if act black then that automates you as a black person. In the past years, for example being black or white was a matter to be decided by state laws. One could be back in a certain state and when crossed over another state he or she is not black. The social constructs of the race began long ago and that political realities have always supported the social construct in a race. 

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The social construction in a race has existed in the United States to separate and create some form of division between inferiors and superiors. This is not a natural distinction as per religion all humans are equal and that race is a social construct that has been created by human beings and solely supported by political realities to create an artificial distinction among humans (Haimes-Bartolf, 2007). 

The Jim Crow Law that existed in the United States in 1877 to mid-1960s shows how political realities supported the social construction about race. The law showed that they would be a distinction between white and blacks and that they were to be separated not equal and that they were superiors and inferiors in that distinction. In America for example, a race is socially constructed, in that individuals do not have to say in defining their racial identity. In the early year in America, the topic of race was so significant that one had to be white to be an American (Anderson, 2008). The Britons and Americans during the early years defined race and that they viewed that only whites or Caucasians are the only human accepted race in the world. They defined and believed others to be inferior and that they should be separated from whites and that is how social construct began. Apparently, the idea was supported by political realities that even some laws were established to distinguish between whites and other races. The Jim Crow law is an example of the political reality that supported the social construct of race. 

The definition of race that the writer supports is the scientific explanation of race which explains race to be the idea that humans and their species are divided into specific groups that are based on inherited physical and behavioral differences. 

References 

Anderson, K. T. (2008). Justifying Race Talk: Indexicality and the Social Construction of Race and Linguistic Value.  Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 18 (1), 108-129. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1395.2008.00017.x 

Haimes-Bartolf, M. D. (2007). The Social Construction of Race and Monacan Education in Amherst County, Virginia, 1908–1965: Monacan Perspectives.  History of Education Quarterly 47 (04), 389-415. doi:10.1111/j.1748-5959.2007.00107.x 

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