According to essentialist concept racial groups have underlying essence that denote deep-rooted abilities, creativity and traits that cannot be altered. It is hypothesized that essentialist mindset is reluctant in considering other perspectives causing a generally closed mindset. Race as a social construct however shows that race is a socially constructed idea that is used to justify inequality in the society. It shows that race has been developed within political, cultural, economic, sociopolitical and legal contexts like in the 1700s and 1800s going up to the late 1900s where being white or black was depending on state laws. This meant that one could be black in one state but no longer black when he or she crosses a state line.
Some states in the United States insisted that having a quarter or a drop of black blood in your veins meant that you are solely black. Social construction of race concept uses power to show some form of superiority and inferiority among people and it does not have any basis in natural world but solely relies on artificial distinctions that has been created by human beings to show some form of dominance. Social construction of race in the United States have resulted in discrimination in education, policing practices, legal processes, housing and other society’s domain.
According to Howard Winant and Michael Omi race has a political undertones and how it is being viewed changes due to an individual, group and era. It does not have any clear distinction and therefore it cannot be defined based on any stability. The two sociologists indicates that the concept of race changes depending on beliefs and political systems. Howard and Omi defines racial formation as sociohistorical process through which categories of races are created, transformed, inhabited and destroyed (Omi and Winant, 2014). Omi and Howard illustrates that the way human beings describe, understand and represent race is connected to how the society is organized and therefore human beings’ common sense understanding of race present significant and real economic and political consequences for issues like access to resources and rights. The two sociologists say that racial formations are carried out by racial projects meaning that it is possible for individuals to change social structures that have been racialized by just changing how individuals think, act and talk in response to race. The formation of racial formation theory by Omi and Howard tries to determine differences that exist between people basing on the way they live rather than the way they look. The sociologists highlights that race is socially constructed since the formation process is economically and socially connected and is being shaped by political forces. Culture and structure are very significant in the formation of racial processes separately and in relation to the other.
Bonilla Silva Eduardo presents that the idea of racism is more than actions and prejudicial attitudes rather it is a structural presence that has been ingrained in all the society’s fabric (Bonilla-Silva, 2015). Bonilla Silva argues that whites in the United States form a social collectivity and they also preserve the racial status quo by developing a racist interest. He says that the circulation of the ideology of colorblind is used to maintain racial status quo in which the ideology is framed on promotion of individualism where segregation is altered to be the freedom to choose where to live. Secondly, it is framed on naturalization where racial inequality is being explained to be a natural process, thirdly, it is framed in terms of cultural racism where stereotypes are used to racialize groups’ culture and to understand their inequalities for example, Mexicans do not value education while blacks are lazy people. Finally, it is framed on minimization whereby the idea of discrimination is said to no longer constitute a central issue facing groups that are non-white and if discrimination exists, there are very many opportunities that exist out there that non-white people can alternatively use to succeed especially in the economic and educational worlds (Bonilla-Silva, 2015). He argues that in the twenty-first century, it is very difficult to detect racism as it is more hidden than in the civil rights movement version where it is very outright. According to him racism has only changed its faces meaning that instead of people of color experiencing absolute discrimination, they are experiencing more indirect social signals that hint at prejudiced tendencies.
In the film ‘Race: Power of an illusion’ it is examined that diverse races of the human beings does not actually exist and what exists are purely constructed by the human mind and is strengthened by the society based on the skin color of a person. According to this film, race is only skin deep and below the skin, humans are closely related species. This film illustrates the common belief that there are genetic differences based on race and this belief has persisted for a long period that even some scholars has attempted to prove it. The film is based on the theme that there are no different biological races that exist but what actually exists is racism that actually originates from the biological race myth. Human beings have discriminated others basing on their appearances even before the twenty-first century and the belief on natural racial hierarchy spreads into government policies that still exist today. The film states that the discovery made by research geneticist indicates that eighty-five percent of all deviations in genetics can be found in any local population irrespective of where they come from (Diva Management, 2010).
Before I took this course I would explain race basing on skin color of an individual, his or her hair color, the color of the eyes, physical appearance and body structure. I thought that race is defined by genotype in that whites were genetically different from whites and that some races were superior to others like in the case of whites and blacks. I would associate some social practices to a certain race for example I would associate eating too much with blacks and eating less to whites. In the case of race as a social construct, I would explain it basing on social beliefs that people use to define and explain race like the belief that white people are superior to blacks while as essence I would explain race as a very essential tool for identification people based on their skin color, physical structure and color of their hair among other common beliefs.
Race can be defined as groups of people who have similarities and differences in terms of biological traits that the society deem significant for example the skin color. Some scholars have tried to create racial groupings for different people around the world and one of the racial categories that have been established is Asian which has been associated with hair color, facial and body type features. Race can be determined by one’s genotype and his or her ancestral history. Ethnicity can be defined as the shared cultural distinctions, perspectives and practices that are used to distinguish one group of people from the other. Characteristics that are common in distinguishing various ethnic groups include a sense of history, ancestry, religion, language and dressing forms. It is important to note that ethnic differences are learned and not inherited. Nationality on the other hand refers to a legal relationship that exists between an individual and a state and is usually conferred by birth.
As a human being i think that color is still being used to tell what race someone belongs to and initially I thought that color is the primary characteristic that can be used to tell someone’s race. With knowledge on race now I have come to know that race has nothing to do with skin color and genotype. I have stayed open to the topic of race and I have come to view the difference in people in terms of their language, religion beliefs and cultural practices. It has however not changed my belief that different intellectual levels cannot be used to tell people’s racial group and the fact that some racial beliefs are just made up by the society.
The difference between race and ethnicity, national origin and identity is that ethnicity refers to the identification of an individual with a specific cultural, religious and racial group while national origin refers to a system of classification that is based on the nation from which an individual originates without considering the nation that he or she resides currently. Identity on the other hand can be defined as beliefs, qualities, looks and expressions that make a group or a person. Identity and national origin cannot be used to determine someone’s race however, race can be used to tell someone’s ethnicity based on his or her racial group.
In 2018, many discussions on race point out that morally, racial discrimination is wrong and based on the essence concept currently people are being encouraged to change their mindset regarding various racial notions. Discussions are discouraging race being inscribed as a matter of significance since this will only encourage color line battles in the future. Based on the concept of social construction race has been discussed in 2018 as something that the society created to place some people above others by making some people to be viewed as superior while others being inferior thereby creating discrimination in education, employment and policing especially in the United States. In 2018 however, the discrimination as a result of race is not being done directly to the people viewed as inferior but can be detected through signs and signals.
Race relates to groups of people who have similarities and differences in terms of biological traits that the society deem significant while racism refers to discrimination that is being directed towards a person of a different race with a belief that his or her race is inferior. Racialization on the other hand refers the process of imposing racial interpretations to something or someone.
I am an open minded person who does not view the differences that exist in people based on their race, national origin or ethnicity. I am adventurous person who likes to experience the cultures of other people without considering some as superior to others. I respect other people’s religious beliefs, cultural practices and way of dressing. Race has not affected, influenced or informed the person I am today because it should not be used to classify people and their capabilities. I believe that racial beliefs can be changed.
References
Diva Management. (2010). Race - The Power of an Illusion: The Difference Between Us Retrived from https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__diva.sfsu.edu_bundles_190264&d=DwMFaQ&c=Oo8bPJf7k7r_cPTz1JF7vEiFxvFRfQtp-j14fFwh71U&r=gsu3k63QPFgw8WuLmzuaj_PVifiyVrxWcy8MDiKZPNk&m=nGw3swvNIIOWspMFridgj0vVHByrno892iUZXPxHqrY&s=cyEP9q88d5-SbAR0EIhJBN6LfFgjpKvuezYzxLKVC7Q&e=
Bonilla-Silva, E. (2015). More than prejudice: Restatement, reflections, and new directions in critical race theory. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 1(1), 73-87.
Omi, M., & Winant, H. (2014). Racial formation in the United States. Routledge.
