What is Race ? “The concept of Racial Superiority is a Myth”.

J.B.S Haldane in his book ” What is Race ” published by UNESCO ,wrote
” Race is a group which shares in common a certain set of innate physical characters and a geographical origin within a certain area .”

A race lives in a definite geographical origin and has some definite innate characteristics.

The term race is a controversial concept for it is understood differently by different people .
Race can mean all of humanity , nationality or even group which is mixed in nearly all respects but socially designated as different.

In the past race was considered as a biological concept but Social scientists recognise that there is no such thing as a race based purely on objective biological differences .
Hence , races are regarded as social concepts.

Definitions

” A race is a larger , biological human grouping with a number of distinctive , inherited czar sctri which vary within a certain range .”
A.W .Green

” A race is a large group of people distinguished by inherited physical differences “
J. Biesanz and M. Biesanz

“A race is a biologically inherited group possessing a distinctive combination of physical trails that tends to breed true from generation to generation ”
Hoebel

” A race is short is a group of related inter marrying individual , that is a population which differs from other population in the relative common ness of cert hereditary traits “
L.C . Dunn

“A race is a broad association of persons of similar biological heritage ,who are untied in settlement by common cultural traditions and who in time of conflict seek to claim rights to a better social position on the basis of an inherited quality “
In this definition , race has been biologically interpreted .
Sutherland and Woodword

“A race is a large division of characteristics presumed to be biologically inherited and remaining relatively constant through numerous generations .”
Paul A.F . Walter .

View by UNESCO

UNESCO arranged a conference of all the prominent Sociologists , anthropologists and psychologists in order to determine a single conception of race .

The judgements given during the conference :-

• Fundamentally , the entire human species has on origin and all men are homo sapiens .

• National groups , religious groups , geographical groups , cultural groups , linguistics groups etc. , are all entirely unconnected with and unrelated to race . These groups do not give indication of any race .

• Distinctions can be made between races on the basis of differences in physical characteristics but not on the basis of cultural characteristics .

• The differences found to exist between the physical characteristics of men are due both to hereditary and to the environment . Differences in heredity arise due to the process known as mutation and in breeding .

• Some races make claims of purity but this is not true . Today pure races cannot be found anywhere in the world . The process of mixing of races originated long back .

• Human races can be classified but these classifications are based solely on physical traits . They have no relation of any kind of mental or intellectual superiority or inferiority .

• The inner capacity for the development of mind and culture is found equally in every race . Hence distinctions between races cannot be based on cultural differences or levels of intelligence . Intelligent people are to be found in all races .

• It is possible that in one nation the degree of racial differences may be greater while in another nation it may be of greater or lesser degree .

• Evidence in support of the fact that the race has no important effect in the social and cultural differences between various human groups has been found in historical
and sociological studies . By no stretch of imagination can one conceive of any relation between changes in racial forms and social changes .

• That from a biological viewpoint , mixing of races is deleterious , is an essential incorrect and invalid belief .

Therefore , Race is a group of intermarrying people who are born of common ancestors , possess similar physical traits and a ‘, we feeling ‘ . Inbreeding renders permanent the physical characteristics of the race and due to them one race can be distinguished from another . One major cause of inbreeding is geographical isolation . Besides geographical isolation a race originates due also to mutation , migration , selection and adaptation.

Determinants of Race

How is race determined ?

In the past , race was regarded as a biological concept and so race was determined by physical characteristics .

These physical traits are two types –
• Indefinite Physical traits
• Definite physical traits.


Indefinite Physical traits
These traits which are amenable to any measurement are called indefinite physical traits , such as the colour of the skin . Hence they can be described .
These traits included :-

• Colour of Skin :- Usually , on the basis of colour of the skin people differentiate between the white , yellow , brown and black races . But it is difficult to distinguish between the microscopic differences in the colour of the skin since the colour of the skin alters with the effect of the climate . Hence , anthropologists do not lay much emphasis on the colour of the skin in trying to discover the race .
The following distinctions can be made by the colour of the skins :-
Leucoderma as Caucasian
Xanthoderma is Monogolian
Melanoderm as Negro .

As the skin is subject to change and subtle variation it is difficult to determine race on the basis of colour .

• Texture and the colour of hair :-
The texture and colour of hair is another indefinite physical trait of race . There are the three following distinctions of hair on the basis of texture
* Leiotrichous ( soft straight hair ) as of the Mongols and Chinese .
* Cymotrichous ( smooth curly hair ) as of the inhabitants of India , Western Europe , Australia and North East Africa
* Ulotrichy ( thick curly hair ) as of Negroes .

• Structure and the colour of eyes
There are three distinctions of the colour of eyes – white ,grey , brown , black and blue . The structure of the orifice of the eye is usually horizontal but at some places diagonal eyes are found as in Southern Europe and North Africa.


Definite Physical Traits
Definite physical traits are those which can be measured .
It includes the following :-

• Stature :- Different races are distinguished on the basis of differences in stature .
Topinard has classified height in the following manner
i ) Tall stature ( 170 cm ) or above
ii) Above Average stature ( 165cm )
iii) Short Stature ( 160 cm) .

The average height of the Pategonian people is the greatest and of the African bushmen the shortest .

• Structure of Head :-
Heads can be classified on three classes according to the ratio of length and width
i) Dolichocephalic
ii) Meson- cephalic
iii) Brachy – cephalic

The structure of the head can be known by its length to its breath .
In India the Brachy cephalic is found in Bengal , Meson-cephalic is found in Bihar and Dolichocephalic in Uttar Pradesh.

In the past much importance was attached to the structure of the head in the determination of race but since Boas proved that changes in environment changes the structure of the head ,it has lost much of its effect as a determinant of race .

Structure of Nose :- Nasal index is used to determine the structure of the nose .
The nasal index can classify the structure of Nose into three classes
i) Leptorrhine ( thin ) mostly found in Punjab .
ii) Mesorrhine ( medium ) mostly found in Uttar Pradesh.
iii) Platyrrhine ( short wide ) mostly found in Madras , Madhya Pradesh and Chota Nagpur areas of India .

• Perimeter of Chest :- Differences in the chest measurement between people of different races is to be found .

It is impossible to find all the traits of one race in the people of any country . Hence , all races of the world have been intermixed and no race is pure anywhere.

Hence , the concept of Pure Race is a Myth.
All existing Sociological and biological evidences point conclude that there is no such things as a ” pure race”
Different population groups have been inbreeding for years and categories of race are only the creation of observers, not of nature .

” Human groups have exchanged their genes through mating to such an extent that any attempt to identify ‘ pure races’ is bound to be fruitless “



The concept of Racial Superiority.

The concept of Racial Superiority is a psychological myth .
This phenomenon is often interpreted as “racism “.
Modern societies consist of people who belong to different racial and ethnic groups . Some of these racial groups are able to live together in harmony and mutual respect but others are in a state of constant antagonism and conflict . The dominant race tries to impose its will on the weaker ones .
This domination of one race over another leads to suppression and exploitation .

Some examples of racism ,
The domination of the western world by European powers during the late 20th century .
The partial extermination and subsequent segregation of native American
The oppression of Black Americans first as slaves and then as exploited minorities.

“Racism or racialism is set of beliefs , ideologies and social processes that discrimination , exploitation or violent oppression is known as racism “
– Collins Dictionary of Sociology

“ Racism is a phenomenon in which a group that is seen as inferior or different is exploited and oppressed by a dominant group .”
– Blauner

The root of racism is said to be the extreme ethnocentric attitudes which are found to be at the root of racism .
According to most people their own norms , religion , attitudes , values and cultural practices are right and proper , while those other groups are peculiar , idiotic and sometimes immortal .

The ethnocentric attitudes that are functional for one group may prove to be highly dysfunctional for another group .
Under certain conditions , ethnocentric attitudes can take an extreme and aggressive form and can be used to justify the oppression treatment of other racial or ethnic groups.
This leads to racism .

Ideology of Racism

“Racism is an ideology based on the belief that an observable , supposedly inherited trait ,such as skin colour ,is a mark of inferiority that justifies the discriminatory treatment of people with that trait “

The ideology of racism supports the existing inequalities by the social process of the “self fulfilling prophecy ”

American sociologist W.I Thomas explained this idea in the form of a simple statement which is popularly known as “, Thomas Theorem ”
“If men define situation as real ,they are real in consequences ”

Merton explained further using an example ,
” If people wrongly believe that a bank will go bankrupt , they will rush to withdraw their money ”
The self fulfilling prophecy is a false definition of a situation but the definition leads to behaviour that makes prediction come true .

Self fulfilling prophecy also causes cases of race relations . The racist ideology of the dominant group defines the minority as inferior and hence considered unfit for higher status jobs , higher education etc.

Root of Racism :-

Simpson and Yinger highlighted four roots of Racism in their classic text

• The doctrine of biologically superior and inferior races
• Members of different races have different personalities
• That ethical standards differ from one race to another .


J.L.Gillin criticized the theory of Racism and brought forward the objection that Racism is confused with culture and nationality .
Modern scientific tests have proved that no race can be consid inferior in any respect and that the conception of racism is completely wrong and unscientific.