ANTH1008 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, Ascribed Status, Ethnobotany
ANTH1008 Lecture Ten: Race and Ethnicity
• There is no agreed upon definition of race. However, there are some similarities in
definition:
-race is a social construct
-race is supposed to b based on physical distinctions
Culturally constructed categories used to divide humans into separate groups based
upon an arbitrary selection of physical characteristics (Omohundro 2008:416)
A human population category whose boundaries allegedly correspond to distinct sets of
biological attributes (Lavenda and Schultz 2015:426)
Racial classification: Assigning organisms to categories (purportedly) based on
common ancestry (Kottak 2009:112)
• A biological definition of race is: a group of animals or plants having common
characteristics that distinguish them from other members of the same species, usually
forming a geographically isolated group. It's a taxonomic group that is a division of a
species; usually arises as a consequence of geographical isolation within a species
• The concept of race has been applied to humans numerous times
-Linnaeus (1707-1778)
Homo europaeus (white)
Home afer (black)
Homo americanus (red)
Homo asiaticus (yellow
-Blumenbach (1752-1840)
Caucasian (white)
Negroid (black)
American (red)
Mongolian (yellow)
Malayan (brown)
-Carl Gustav (1789-1869) has a whimsical concept
Day People (Caucasians)
Easter Twilight People (Mongolians, Hindus, Turks, and Slavs)
Western Twilight People (American Indians)
Night People (Africans and Australians)
• Race is a social construct including the differences in skin colour, hair texture, eye
shape, etc. And these differences are relatively new genetic developments in the last
few thousand years.
• Race is an idea that we prescribe to biology
• Humans are actually the most alike species genetically, from one person to another.
• Differences in physical appearances in humans is more based on geography than
biology. We've never had a group of humans isolated long enough to develop distinct
characteristics. We humans have always been interbreeding with other human
subspecies
• Most of the differing characteristics in humans are mostly due to social, cultural and
environmental causes
• Of course, there are issues applying the race concept to humans:
• All humans belong to the same sub-species, Homo sapiens
• There is more variation within human 'races' than between the races
-Most physical variation (about 94%) lies within 'racial' groups. 'Racial' groupings
differ in about 6% of their genes (AAA statement on "Race" in Kottak, 2009:1286) 85%
of all human variants can be found within any local population, about 93-96% can be
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Anth1008 lecture ten: race and ethnicity: there is no agreed upon definition of race. Race is supposed to b based on physical distinctions. Culturally constructed categories used to divide humans into separate groups based upon an arbitrary selection of physical characteristics (omohundro 2008:416) A human population category whose boundaries allegedly correspond to distinct sets of biological attributes (lavenda and schultz 2015:426) It"s a taxonomic group that is a division of a species; usually arises as a consequence of geographical isolation within a species: the concept of race has been applied to humans numerous times. Easter twilight people (mongolians, hindus, turks, and slavs) Night people (africans and australians: race is a social construct including the differences in skin colour, hair texture, eye shape, etc. And these differences are relatively new genetic developments in the last few thousand years: race is an idea that we prescribe to biology, humans are actually the most alike species genetically, from one person to another.
