I,Race,The Power of An Illusion
II,Thinking about Race
and Ethnicity,What is
Tiger Woods?
III,Why race does not exist…except
as a social construct
II,Ethnicity and Race as Folk
Concepts
Discussion of Film,
Race,The Power of An Illusion
Episode 1,The Differences Between Us
? Did this film challenge or change the way you
think about race?
? What is the film saying about the concept of
race?
? What is the issue of,concordance” about?
Why is it important to the concept of race?
? Is the student Noah right when he concludes,
“Every single one of us is a mongrel?”
? Does the film deny that race is real?
What race is this man?
ddPaternal
Grandparents
1 White
1 Native American
2 Black
ddMaternal
Grandparents
2 Chinese
2 Thai
Father Mother
“Cablinasian”
What assumptions lie
behind the designation
of Tiger Woods as an
“African American”?
? The,drop of blood” theory
? Southern segregation laws,1/64 black = black
? The obsession to classify people by race in the
US continues,the example of Hispanics
? These are social,not biological ideas
? The proportion of,interracial” couples in the
U.S,increased from 3% to 17% of all married
couples between 1980 and 1999,
? This means that 1 in 6 couples are
“interracial” today,accounting for 9,415,000
married couples,
? Black/White married couples more than
doubled between 1980 and 1999,and come to
close to 10% of black/black couples,
Data from the 2000 Statistical Abstract
suggest that Tiger Woods is not alone..,
The US Census Bureau refused to add a
“multiracial” category for the 2000 census,
Instead it allowed individuals for the first
time to choose more than one race,
“Race” categories
have changed over
time
New York Times Article on Race and
Recent Scientific Findings,
Recent DNA Evidence,
90% of human genetic variation exists
within,racial groups” -- almost no
consistent genetic differences exist
between members of different groups
?Less than 1/100 of 1% of our genes is
related to what society calls,race”
“Racial categories recognized by
society are not reflected on the
genetic level.” (NY Times article)
?,Race is a social concept,not a
scientific one.” --Dr,J,Craig Venter,
Celera Genomics Corp,
? "Race has no scientific justification
in human biology.” --American
Anthropological Association
Race does not exist
….except as a social construct
The American Anthropological
Association has recommended that the
Census Bureau eliminate the term
"race" and replace it with "ethnic
origins," noting that many Americans
confuse race,ethnicity and ancestry,
Some people argue that since race has no
biological existence,the U.S,government
should cease collecting data about race
? But the American Sociological
Association disagrees
? It asks:,Would ?Race” Disappear if the
United States Officially Stopped
Measuring It?”
“As long as Americans routinely sort each
other into racial categories and act on the
basis of those attributions,research on the
role of race and race relations in the United
States falls squarely within [a] scientific
agenda...As the United States becomes more
diverse,the need for public agencies to
continue to collect data on racial categories
will become even more important,The
continuation of the collection and scholarly
analysis of data serves both science and the
public interest.” --American Sociological
Assoc,
Race and Ethnicity
The classification of people on the basis
of race and ethnicity is based on social
beliefs,not objective biological or cultural
differences,
Race and ethnicity are,folk concepts,”
not scientific ones,
Remember the Thomas theorem!
II,Thinking about Race
and Ethnicity,What is
Tiger Woods?
III,Why race does not exist…except
as a social construct
II,Ethnicity and Race as Folk
Concepts
Discussion of Film,
Race,The Power of An Illusion
Episode 1,The Differences Between Us
? Did this film challenge or change the way you
think about race?
? What is the film saying about the concept of
race?
? What is the issue of,concordance” about?
Why is it important to the concept of race?
? Is the student Noah right when he concludes,
“Every single one of us is a mongrel?”
? Does the film deny that race is real?
What race is this man?
ddPaternal
Grandparents
1 White
1 Native American
2 Black
ddMaternal
Grandparents
2 Chinese
2 Thai
Father Mother
“Cablinasian”
What assumptions lie
behind the designation
of Tiger Woods as an
“African American”?
? The,drop of blood” theory
? Southern segregation laws,1/64 black = black
? The obsession to classify people by race in the
US continues,the example of Hispanics
? These are social,not biological ideas
? The proportion of,interracial” couples in the
U.S,increased from 3% to 17% of all married
couples between 1980 and 1999,
? This means that 1 in 6 couples are
“interracial” today,accounting for 9,415,000
married couples,
? Black/White married couples more than
doubled between 1980 and 1999,and come to
close to 10% of black/black couples,
Data from the 2000 Statistical Abstract
suggest that Tiger Woods is not alone..,
The US Census Bureau refused to add a
“multiracial” category for the 2000 census,
Instead it allowed individuals for the first
time to choose more than one race,
“Race” categories
have changed over
time
New York Times Article on Race and
Recent Scientific Findings,
Recent DNA Evidence,
90% of human genetic variation exists
within,racial groups” -- almost no
consistent genetic differences exist
between members of different groups
?Less than 1/100 of 1% of our genes is
related to what society calls,race”
“Racial categories recognized by
society are not reflected on the
genetic level.” (NY Times article)
?,Race is a social concept,not a
scientific one.” --Dr,J,Craig Venter,
Celera Genomics Corp,
? "Race has no scientific justification
in human biology.” --American
Anthropological Association
Race does not exist
….except as a social construct
The American Anthropological
Association has recommended that the
Census Bureau eliminate the term
"race" and replace it with "ethnic
origins," noting that many Americans
confuse race,ethnicity and ancestry,
Some people argue that since race has no
biological existence,the U.S,government
should cease collecting data about race
? But the American Sociological
Association disagrees
? It asks:,Would ?Race” Disappear if the
United States Officially Stopped
Measuring It?”
“As long as Americans routinely sort each
other into racial categories and act on the
basis of those attributions,research on the
role of race and race relations in the United
States falls squarely within [a] scientific
agenda...As the United States becomes more
diverse,the need for public agencies to
continue to collect data on racial categories
will become even more important,The
continuation of the collection and scholarly
analysis of data serves both science and the
public interest.” --American Sociological
Assoc,
Race and Ethnicity
The classification of people on the basis
of race and ethnicity is based on social
beliefs,not objective biological or cultural
differences,
Race and ethnicity are,folk concepts,”
not scientific ones,
Remember the Thomas theorem!
