[W14.1] Introduction to Sociology/Race and Ethnicity - Shim ChaeYeon(심채연)

1) Summary

Race is primarily a concept that distinguishes people based on their physical characteristics. It is classified externally and has implications for an individual's social identity. Race was often based on biological grounds, but in modern society, it is controversial in social and political contexts.

Ethnicity refers to a group of humans who share social and cultural characteristics. Ethnicity is a strong tendency for individuals to choose their own identity, and focuses on social characteristics over race.

The biological definition of race has been interpreted in various ways as genetically distinct populations, distinct evolutionary lineages, etc.

The view of race as a social construct is that race is an artificial, not natural, distinction. When we compare the classification of races in the United States and Brazil, we can see how socially structured race is. The United States has classified various races, including African, Native American, and European, and these standards have changed over time. 

Studies have also shown that genetic variation between races is smaller than intra-group variation, suggesting that race is a social construct rather than a genetic difference.

Prejudice is a preformed judgment or opinion about an object. Prejudice often involves negative views and stems from stereotypes about individuals or groups. Discrimination refers to taking real action based on these prejudices. Prejudice is the belief or attitude in the mind, and discrimination is the manifestation of this belief or attitude as a real action. Prejudice has the potential to lead to discrimination.

Racism refers to discrimination against a particular group or individual on the grounds of race. It can occur at the individual level, and structural racism means inequality within an organization or system. Cultural and historical racism also exists.

Prejudice and discrimination can have serious effects on individuals and society. In order to reduce these negative effects, institutional efforts are needed to overcome prejudice and promote fair treatment through education and social awareness.

2) Something interesting or new that I learned

As I have known before, it is interesting to see that race is social rather than natural or biological. It was generally accepted that animal species are classified according to their biological characteristics, and that human species are also classified for biological reasons such as skin color when I was young. However, it is interesting to note that humans are the only animals that classify species for social reasons, just as the classification of races has changed over time. The classification of socially constructed races has continued, and later people consider it to be a natural classification.

3) Questions & Discussions

If races are socially structured, why distinguish them? There is no need to distinguish between species by biological characteristics, then what is the purpose of distinguishing species within the same human being by creating social reasons? I think it is because white people at the time thought that there was a difference in cultural level with other races, and they fell into a sense of national superiority and wanted to continue to be superior. This is not only for white people, but also for the attitude of Koreans toward people in Southeast Asian countries. If they are considered culturally superior, they try to differentiate them and show off the superiority of their own group.