Does race denote nationality....or skin colour

If your parents are of different races, which parent's race do you claim as your own?? Does the country you were born in make a difference?

Or you could claim a completely different race, or two.

What the hell - collect em all!

I wish I could remember tha name of the anthropologist who wrote a great article on this.

Race is really just an arbitrary category defined by whatever physical characteristics a particular culture comes to a consensus on as defining a particular "race". For example, think about all of the ethnicities that don't seem to fit into one of the particular "races" as defined by American culture (american indian, asian, black, white, etc.), such as North Africans, South Asians, etc. and how different cultures or individuals might go about deciding which race these ethnicities fit in. Also think about how easy is would be for different cultures to choose different sets of physical characteristics to use as the deciding factors in determining race.

Many people wrongly assume that lots of other genetic traits are tied to the physical characteristics of skin color, hair type, and facial features. And genetic studies have shown how individuals can share more total genetic commonalities with those who would be considered in a different race that those who would be considered part of the same race.

I was really surprised by the negative reactions I've gotten from some very liberal, definitely non-racist friends when I've talked about race as a cultural construct. I think one reason for this is that it's so ingrained in us to think of race as a real, non-arbitrary physical category. However, I also think the reason why many liberal-minded people,in particular, might react so negatively to this is that they fear that the idea of race as just a cultural construct may be used by others as propoganda to ignore the very real effects of being considered part of one particular race in our society.

Man's Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race decades ago.
There's been more written about this recently, but I don't remember by whom.

excellent debunking of the racial myth

the proper term is ethnic group. There is only one race--the human race. It may sound trite, but it is the truth.

So it really bugs me when I am asked what my "race" is. I always put Other, human. As far as anthropology goes, the term "race" is outdated and not specific enough to be useful. There are African Americans who look "white". There are hairy white people in Japan. You can argue whether they are white or Asian, but the truth is, they are ethnically Japanese, no matter what color the skin is. Asian is too broad a term, and includes skin colors varying from white to dark brown. Native Indonesians are more closely related to Polynesians but are considered asian.

You are right, the concept of "race" is a social construct created by rich white men in the early days of anthropology, and is sorely in need of an overhaul. At one time it may have been based on current information, but our technology and understanding of genetics has advanced tenfold since then.

I love modern anthropology, but before people like Franz Boaz came along, it was basically a pseudo-science used to justify racism on an "intellectual" level.

:nuke:

:(

Immitation of Life?

America has managed to hold people back just because they were 1/16th black.

In France to a white mother and a black father, both French....so I am French....But I am not African-American....because the American part is incorrect. So I am Black......or mixed.......a mulatto, Biracial (Creole only come from LA).....
But my nationality is French!
My race is black...cause I am going by the 1 drop rule...don't want to diminish black's numbers in the census.

My daughter's boyfriend is Jewish...so their children would be?
My other daughter's boyfriend is Chinese......so go figure, and get back to me, if they had any kids.

My husband is 1/2 Indian 1/2 black....

I have great hair.....green eyes.....freckles.....???????

But the food would be great!

perhaps my haitian friend tinore can tell us more about this.