Is Race Socially Constructed - Essay Example

This is the reason as to why divisions along racial lines are attributed to physical appearances of people. This gives the definition of a race as a grouping among people having a similar physical basis. This is further strengthened by the fact that people with a common ancestry tend to have a more identical physical basis as compared to people from different ancestry. Evidence that Race is Socially Constructed The differences in physical appearance can be explained as an influence of the different environments (Khan, 2012).

This has been evidenced in a situation where a set of identical twins shows distinct variations if they are brought up in different environments. Race is not a natural occurrence but is rather created. The construction is aimed to serve a political role in where one race deems themselves superior to others (Howard, 2013). Racialism has brought about many contentions about their boundaries. Different races differ on the opinion about how many groups should belong to one race. These boundaries are constantly shifting as they are no clear division mechanisms.

This further proves that racialism is socially constructed rather than genetically constructed. As a result of this disagreement, ethnicities are found to be overlapping. Also, there are no clear set rules or traits that can be used to categorize a person as belonging to a particular race. This means that in one region, one can be categorized as belonging to one race. When that individual moves to a different region, he/she may be categorized into a different race. The fact that racialism of one individual can change with change in location further proves that racialism is not natural but rather socially constructed (Fullwiley, 2008).

There are different social implications associated with racialism. Some races are considered to be more superior to other races. For example, whites consider themselves to be more superior to other races. For example, in the U.S the whites are considered to be more superior to blacks and Hispanic groups in the same nation. This superiority can be traced to social advantages that the whites are awarded as compared to other groups (Khan, 2012). The other groups have experienced social discrimination including social exclusion rendering them inferior.

There is no evidence showing that one race is genetically or biologically superior to other races. Superiority is born due to imbalances in the society which if rectified every person would be at the same level. Further evidence that disregards racialism as a genetically based or biological construction is the issue of intermarriage between people from different races. The children born to such couples are considered to be mixed races. That is, they cannot be categorized under any of the races belonging to either parent.

An example clarify this can be given on the issue of gender inheritance. Most people are born as either males or females and environmental changes, moving to other regions and intermarriages do not affect this fact. However, racialism is a subject to the above factors which shows that it was constructed to satisfy a given goal (Coates, 2013). With the growing number of intermarriages and improved opportunities, they may come a time where racialism will be abolished due to lack of grounds. References Coates, T. (2013). What we Mean When we Say ‘