NINETH WEEK/NINETH MODULE. Race and Ethnicity
Notes and Comments for class on Chapter 9 Race and Ethnicity
As I write this today, people in NYC just electedthe secondBlack Mayor, Mr. Eric Adams. Take a look at the video and read the article. I hope you are interested in this issue related to all aspects of the city and to the many chapters in “Perspectives”, if you think of it:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/02/nyregion/eric-adams-mayor.html
By the way, I expect that you know that the New York Times is free forLaGuardiaC. C.students.
For this week we will be able to address subjects that have been in our minds and on the first page of newspapers and the headlines of all news since the horrific events in Minneapolis last year, May 2020, when George Floyd was killed: Racism, Institutional Racism, and White Privilege, Critical Race Theory, etc. have been topics of thousands of articles recently. In this context we should not forget that the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement has been instrumental in raising the people’s awareness (and consciousness) about racism and for justice in the US. BLM mobilized people to demonstrate against racism and has pushed a conversation, and to the judicial system to enact new laws. I’d like you to reflect on these events and processes in light of what anthropology has been saying for quite some time (see the project RACE from the AAA in your chapter):
To help us to the analysis and to reflect on race and racism, you will find in your textbook a great resource a click away; it is the AAA (American Anthropological Association) Project on race. I strongly suggest youto browse the many works to better understand “race” in the USA. This is the link:
https://www.americananthro.org/LearnAndTeach/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=2062
NOTE: YOU MUST WATCH THE FOLLOWING:
*The name of Dr. Nina Jablonsky’sshouldn’tbe a new name for you (Great Human Odyssey). I am asking you to watch the following talk/presentation so you will learn or review scientific based research on skin. Take good notes from her talkCARTA - Skin - NinaJablonski, please. This is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFw8mMzH5YA
Welcome to see this one too (also with Dr. Nina Jablonski) but this is not a must:
The Evolution and Meanings of Human Skin Color | Nina Jablonski - YouTube
After watching Prof.Jablonski’spresentation, please write in a rich paragraph highlighting the four main ideas after your responses to the Discussion Questions in the forum for that purpose.
I hope you all remember some of the insights from Great Human Odyssey so you’ll remember that all humans share 99.9%of DNA as humans: we are all members of the same species. Darwin saw the origin of the species as a single gene pool from which all humans share descent.
Do not neglect concepts such asreification: Please find the definition in the chapter. Think about the “Asian Race”. What would you say about it? Please, remember what Asia is and how diverse and huge is. So, how it comes that some people talk about Asians as a monolith "race"? Same with “Hispanics”, by the way.
What is racism?
1.Individual: personal prejudiced belief and discriminatory actions based on “race” (generally based onphenotypelike color of the skin).
2.Institutional racism: Patterns by which racial inequality is structured through key cultural, legal, political institutions that result in policies and systems. Think about what structural violence is.
3.Microaggressions: common, everyday verbal or behavioral indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory, and negative messages about someone’s “race”.
In the US, do not forget the Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow laws were a collection of state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation. Named after aBlack minstrel showcharacter, thelaws—whichexisted for about 100 years, from the post-Civil Warera until 1968—were meant to marginalize African Americans by denying them the right to vote, hold jobs, get an education or other opportunities. Those who attempted to defy Jim Crow laws often faced arrest, fines, jail sentences, violence and death
Look at how “race” has been constructed in Brazil with “tipos”.
In Japan: theBurakumin. Who are they?
Please carefully review the following concepts:
Cline: there is more variation within groups than between groups: Africa presents the largest variation of phenotypes.Physical anthropologists use the termclineto refer to differences in the traits that occur in populations across a geographical area. In acline, a trait may be more common in one geographical area than another, but the variation is gradual and continuous with no sharp breaks.
“Tipos”in Brazil; also, social class affects “racial” classification. Color continuum vs the US that has a color line: black and white. Only recently, due to the influx of many immigrants and “mixed race” people, we talk about “brown”.
“One Drop Rule”concept/practice/policies is one other form that has contributed to the construction of “RACE” in the US. AlsoHypodescentwhich is closely related.
What is eugenics?
Eugenicsis the philosophy and social movement that argues it is possible to improve the human race and society by encouraging reproduction by people or populations with “desirable” traits (termed “positive”eugenics) and discouraging reproduction by people with “undesirable” qualities (termed “negative”eugenics). See:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/eugenics/
Ethnic Group: People in a society who claim a distinct identity for themselves based on shared cultural characteristics and ancestry.
Ethnicity: The degree to which a person identifieswhithand feels an attachment to a particular ethnic group.
Please reflect on this question: Is the US, a “melting pot”? Or “a tossed salad”?
Discussion Questions:
- Garcíadescribes the reasons that race is considered a “discredited concept in human biology.” Despite this scientific fact, most people continue to believe that race is “real.” Why do you think race has continued to be an important social reality even after it has been discredited scientifically?
- 2. The process of racial formation is different in every society. In the United States, the “one-drop rule” andhypodescenthave historically affected the way people with multiracial backgrounds have beenracialized. How have ideas about multiracial identity been changing in the past few decades? As the number of people who identify as “multiracial” increases, do you think there will be changes in the way we think about other racial categories?
- Members of some ethnic groups are able to practice symbolic ethnicity, limited or occasional displays of ethnic pride and identity. Why can ethnicity be displayed in an optional way while race cannot?
- There is no scientific evidence supporting the idea that racial or ethnic background provides a biological advantage in sports. Instead, a variety of social dynamics, including cultural affinities and preferences as well as access and opportunities influence who will become involved in particular sports. Think about a sport in which you have participated or have followed closely. What social dynamics do you think are most responsible for affecting the racial, ethnic, gender, or social class composition of the athletes who participate?