The idea that race is constructed is a very interesting topic to me. In the discussion in class we discussed it and moved on but I still could not get passed this idea. Although the idea that race is constructed is something that I agree with, I cannot help but wonder how is it constructed and pushed through society to still have current effects. There are biological aspects that was once believed to have a role in the way race is used in society. There also is the personal action of parents teaching their kids these racist teachings in their actions. There also was the way that racism was ingrained in the economies of many nations across the world leading to many laws made throughout the years. As to what was the first thought that constructed and led to the existence of race distinctions I cannot answer this. This is something that is very shocking to me though. The construction of race had been so long ago that it cannot be traced by the average person. This time is scary because it shows how many layers of development it had to go through in different civilizations and cultures. It also cannot be traced because it is not an agreed thought that race is constructed.
3 thoughts on “Race- keyword response”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I believe that race was primarily constructed through racial science and theory. I do think that there are soft approaches to track when the ideology of race comes into play in science and literature, however I agree that there is not one exact moment in which race comes into play. To add to the argument that race is a social construct, one must confront the history. For example, in an article produced by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of “Between the World and Me”, suggests that “race is the child of racism, not the father”.
You make an incredibly important point, that race is not popularly or widely believed or considered to be constructed. And race as construction is a relatively novel approach, although it makes sense biologically, historically, and culturally. It’s an aspect of cultural reality that’s not yet a mainstream concept, meaning it’s not widely taught in schools or widely accepted publicly. White supremacy, at its heart, assumes entirely the opposite, that race is inherent and genetic. To move beyond racial stereotypes, it seems to me, is to move beyond race as inherited and part of a “natural order.”
I found what you posted to be interesting as it delves into the various layers that lead to what we understand as the social construct of race. There are many layers, as you said, from classifying people by appearance to deeply engrained structures which can often go unexamined. I think understating all these layers is helpful when thinking about how we as a society can affect racism. Especially when some people think we have entered a certain post-racial period, it is important to understand how all these many structures go hand in hand in perpetuating racism and constructing race.