Race and Racism Religious Relations Ethnic Race

Race and Racism Religious Relations Ethnic Race

Race and Racism

A dictionary defines race as "a division of mankind possessing traits that are transmissible by descent and sufficient to characterize it as a distinct human type" but in practice, 'races' tend to be characterized more by their position of power or powerlessness in a society than by any innate traits. Biologically, no transmissible (genetic) traits are sufficient to characterize a person as belonging to one race or another. Scientists classified the population of the world into different races hundreds of years ago based on observed characteristics, but it is now generally agreed upon that race is a social construct -- a fiction which persists for complex reasons we will try to explore here. Racism is commonly understood to be prejudicial discrimination based on race -- i.e. the notion that you can gain some information about someone's intelligence, values, personality, etc. by observing the color of their skin. It follows from this notion that certain races are inherently better than others. Many find that a more useful definition encompasses the issues of power and oppression that are involved in racial discrimination. Defining racism as "racial prejudice plus power" means that when one group of people uses the notion of racial distinctions to deny power to others, this group of people can be considered racist. According to this definition, when an individual behaves in a prejudicial manner that behavior is considered racist only if it accords that person's racial group power. The power gained by subjugating a large population based on some easily observed physical characteristics is one of the many reasons racism continues to be difficult to eradicate.

Top: Society: Issues: Race-Ethnic-Religious Relations: Race and Racism

Editor's Picks:

- Series of New York Times articles based on the premise that race relations are being defined less by political action than by daily experience. Includes archival articles and Web resources list. [Free regestration required.]

- Notes from a training session.
- Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting project to monitor and combat the media's marginalization, misrepresentation and exclusion of people of color in both the news and the newsroom.
- Explore issues of race and diversity on college campuses. Access the results of a national poll, read and review books on diversity. See how institutions are handling these issues and share your own thoughts.
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- Satire by Chelsea and Jonah Peretti describes a fictional white couple and their flubbed attempts to relate to blacks. Includes viewer letters.
- Nuclear Racism: The operation, siting or the attempt to site a nuclear facility within or near a community of color; to choose a community of color over communities that are primarily affluent and white.
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- This site contains over two hundred facts on racial issues such as discrimination, income differences, affirmative action, education, slavery, media, politics and violence among other topics.
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- A scholarly examination of the lynching epidemic of the early 20th century and how the press reacted to it.
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- Articles from archives.
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- Complete archive of race articles from Salon.com
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- A community of volunteers committed to social development. Includes articles and links.
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- Includes an article on reverse racism and discrimination.
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