McGinty-Peterson: “Race from a Biological and Social Perspective”
Chelsea McGinty-Peterson
12/2/2014
Anth 1020
Research Paper: Race from a Biological and Social Perspective
“All skin colors, whether light or dark, are not due to race but to adaptation for life under the
sun.” –Alan Goodman, Biological Anthropologist
What is Race? Who decides which ethnicity belongs to which race? Is there a difference
from a biological and social perspective? These questions are just a few that I had when
beginning this research project. I found various information from various sources regarding
what race is from an anthropologists perspective and also from a modern day (last few hundred
years) perspective. To begin we will look into a biological point of view.
Race is a biological and social concept used to categorize or classify humans into bigger
specific groups or populations based upon various traits including genetics, physical
appearance, ethnicity, and geographical factors, and religious factors, linguistic and social class.
One of the most common ways human classification happens is by looking at phenotypes that
are common amongst different humans in example, height, and weight or skin color. When
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McGinty-Peterson: “Race from a Biological and Social Perspective”
these phenotypes are observed, there is a common average that is looked at to break down
classifications in ethnicity. For example, light skin with warm or pale skin tones usually is
classified as European decent while a dark cool skin tone is classified with African descent.
Although this may sound easy there is much more that goes into it which is where facial and
body measurements, hair color, eye color, social class, religion, and geographical location all
come into play. As time goes on, it gets more and harder to classify humans due to biracial
popularity.
In biology race is commonly determined by relatable phenotype traits that forensic
anthropologists observe and draw conclusions with from skeletal remains. The human species is
extraordinary in the fact that we are able to determine race with very similar cranial skeletal
structures. With many other non-human species, it is much easier to determine specific species
due to fluctuation in skeletal make up. This is not so much for humans, which is where the
social aspects start to combine with biological views in anthropology. An example of this is find
specific tools, pottery or even furniture close to similar skeletal remains. This allows biological
anthropologists to determine not only the race of a species but the social interaction as well as
lifestyle of the identified species.
Socially in modern day, race is viewed much more upon physical appearance than
phenotypes. It is fairly easy to look at a Caucasian person and draw the conclusion of European
descent as it is to look at a person of medium-olive skin, dark hair, and dark eyes and decide
they are of Hispanic descent. This is where racial stereotypes are formed, tension begins, and
racial prejudice begins. When we begin to mix religious affiliations along with hobbies, talents,
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McGinty-Peterson: “Race from a Biological and Social Perspective”
or other beliefs into the classification of humans, that is where feelings get hurt and this world
turns from a peaceful place of discovery and interest to a place of hurt, lies, and hate.
Fortunately, we as humans amongst so many of the powerful aspects of ourselves are able to
leave the unbiased classification up to anthropologists and social analysts.
There is a quote that I personally love from Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk
to Freedom that states the opinion on conditional love and hate: “No one is born hating
another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must
learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more
naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” I love this because this is what modern day
human classification has turned into, not only just the classification, but the judgment and the
automatic placement of social class.
In conclusion, I believe the ability that geneticists as well as biological anthropologists
have to classify humans is absolutely remarkable. When science in general is unbiased,
powerful things can happen and will be done. However likewise with any good thing, too much
of it can also be bad. When we contort the process of human classification into a biased
“human social right” that comes with stereotypes, that’s where we will have problems
functioning in harmony with one another. Race is a beautiful thing that we can detect so many
things like lifestyle, religious beliefs, and most importantly knowledge from one another that’s
when race is fantastic.
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McGinty-Peterson: “Race from a Biological and Social Perspective”
I wanted to leave off with a powerful quote that shows the outcome of looking at others
through a racial perspective. This quote is from Martin Luther King Jr. speech, “I Have a Dream”:
When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from
every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black
men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands
and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty,
we are free at last!"
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McGinty-Peterson: “Race from a Biological and Social Perspective”
References:
Martin Luther King Jr. “I have a dream”. Delivered in Washington D.C. at the Lincoln
Memorial. August 28, 1963.
Race and Human Diversity: A Bicultural Approach. Robert L. Anemone. 2010
“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_%28human_classification%29” . Wikimedia
Project powered by MediaWild. 19, November, 2014.
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