POLS 3065 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Race Today, Social Relation, Racialization
Document Summary
It may seem natural or fixed, commonsensical, but it is a very fluid category - shifts and changes through time -- understand race as a something that is socially constructed - series of social relations. Race = social relations that shift and change through time; it is not a thing. The process of racialization --- racialization is thrown out a lot, but it has a specific meaning. When certain markers are used to assign meanings. Relations or process through which certain markers or characteristics. Language, physical characteristic -- used to characterize people; these markers are given cultural and moral significance. Characteristics and features are used to categorize people -- element of power also comes into play -- hierarchy; which group is above who. These categorizes are assigned different status, inclusion, exclusion, power -- how people are positioned. What are some of the roots of this process. Race is then a process -- historical, social rather than neutral or universal.