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Jordan Hansen
Professor Teresa Potter
Anthropology
April 24, 2015
The Social and Biological Concepts of Race
Race is a significant factor in the history of our world. For hundreds and even thousands
of years, race has played a part in defining a person’s character, and even sometimes determining
destiny. After having looked at the biological and social perspectives of race, I have developed
some insights and opinions of my own about race and its significance in history and life in
modern times. It’s interesting to think about the ways that race has influenced society in modern
times. For example, every single state-required test I took in high school had a section for me to
fill in my race. My recent college application to the University of Utah featured a field to fill in
my race. My soon-to-be brother-in-law just received a full tuition scholarship to Salt Lake
Community College based on his Tongan ethnicity. All of these are examples of how race plays
an important role in our lives, even as un-noticed as it sometimes seems. The concept of race has
been defined from two perspectives, one being the Biological perspective and the Social
perspective. I posit that the biological concept of race has evolved into a social classification of
race, which has, in turn, created a society where ethnicity plays a very significant role in
education, business, and every aspect of our assessment of human credibility.
The biological concept of race is an interesting topic of discussion. We can trace the
concept of race from a biological perspective much farther back than that of the social
perspective. An interesting article written by Joseph L. Graves Jr. entitled, “Biological V. Social
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Definitions of Race: Implications for Modern Biomedical Research”, discusses the biological
concept of race in a very thorough and clear way. Graves explains that the biological concept of
race is the physical characteristics that we observe in people based on genetic mutation,
combined with environmental factors. I understand this to mean that the biological perspective
of race is solely founded on phenotype. Graves continues by explaining that all genetic
variation arises as a mutation. He defines mutations as “changes in the genetic code which occur
during the replication of DNA during the formation of gametes. Mutations occur by chance
alone, and environmental influences can increase the probability that a mutation occurs” (Graves,
2009). Graves does well at pointing out that mutation is based on chance, which means that race
is also based on chance. The only other factors that can influence mutation are environmental
factors. This means that intelligence, social status, wealth, etc., have no effect on mutation.
When I think about race from a biological perspective, my mind is always drawn to the
equatorial regions of the world. People who have lived in those regions over a long span of
generations have genetically mutated in certain ways based on the environment so that they can
live. The increased amount of melanin in their skin allows them to survive the extreme heat and
light from the sun. When you look at northern regions of the world, they have decreased levels
of melanin, which helps them receive the vitamin D and essential nutrients that the sun gives the
human body. Therefore, from a biological perspective, race is purely based on chance and
location. The genetic mutations that have occurred over hundreds of thousands of years have
certainly effected our phenotype, but in doing so have allowed us to survive the Earth’s harsh
climates in their respective environments.
The social concept of race is a much younger idea but is much more recognized in society
and has played a much bigger role in our modern understanding of race. Race from a social
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perspective can be defined as the classification of individuals into social groups dependent upon
their physical expression. The examination of the social concept of race is where we begin to see
social status come into play. Some may say that specific ethnic groups are not as intellectually
qualified as other ethnic groups. Some may say that certain ethnicities are naturally poorer than
other ethnic groups because of the habits that were taught to them as a child. These examples
sound harsh, but are the reality of our society. Granted, we have come a long way in recognizing
equality amongst all ethnicities, but we still have a long way to go. From the time that Linnaeus
first classified race based on skin color up until the late 1800’s, racial inequality was majorly
abundant. In fact, the theme of the 19th century was slavery. This is because the biological
concept of race, being the mutations that caused differences in phenotype, evolved into social
classifications that organized society into ranks. We can look back to the Plessy vs. Ferguson
case of 1896 to understand the meaning of the social concept of race. In short, the Plessy vs.
Ferguson case involved a black man named Homer Plessy challenging the laws in place at the
time that required separation of blacks from whites on trains. The Separate Car Law required
that each train line have separate cars from blacks and whites so that they did not have to
integrate with one another during their travels. When Homer Plessy took a seat on a white-only
car, he was arrested and removed from the train. Following a lengthy court case, the Supreme
Court ruled that no law was broken when Homer Plessy was removed from his seat and arrested
because the Constitution “required equal, although separate, facilities for blacks” (Ware, 2013).
In other words, Homer Plessy was rightfully arrested because social equality was not necessary.
We know that times have changed during the last century, and laws have been changed as well.
None of us living today have ever seen anything like the Plessy vs. Ferguson case because we are
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more socially tolerant of differing races, however, the concept of social race is still very much a
part of society today.
There is a great advantage in recognizing the biological concept of race rather than the
social concept of race. Those of us who are able to see and appreciate the way different cultures
and nationalities have become who they are today, without blending social status into the mix,
are going to have much greater the advantage in the future. There is no veracity behind
assigning social classifications based on cultural customs or patters. Gloria Ramon says it best in
her article “Race: Social Concept, Biological Idea” when she explains the social concept of race.
She posits “Attributing race to an individual or a population amounts to applying a social and
cultural label that lacks scientific consensus and supporting data” (Ramon, 2002). Viewing race
from nothing more than the biological perspective will allow to pursue our educational, business,
and personal affairs without any judgements toward social inequality. Unfortunately, society
will most likely always have issues with cultures and rituals that are foreign to them, but having
learned about the how the human race has evolved into the incredibly diverse population that it
is, we can be the examples of good character and eradicate as much social racism as possible.
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Works Cited
Graves, J. (2010). Biological V. Social Definitions of Race: Implications for Modern Biomedical
Research. Review Of Black Political Economy, 37(1), 43-60. doi:10.1007/s12114-0099053-3
Ramon, G. (2002, January 7). Race: Social Concept, Biological Idea. Retrieved April 24, 2015,
from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f00/web2/ramon2.html
Ware, L. (2013). Plessy v. Ferguson: Race and Inequality in Jim Crow America. Political
Science Quarterly, (1), 188.