Scientists have approached the study of human biological diversity
in two main ways: racial classification, an approach that has been rejected,
and the current explanatory approach. It is not possible to define human races
biologically. Because of a range of problems involved in classifying humans
into racial categories, biologists now focus on specific biological differences
and try to explain them. Race is a cultural category, not a biological reality. "Races" derive
from contrasts perceived in particular societies, rather than from scientific
classification. In American culture, one acquires a racial identity at birth.
But in the final analysis, race in the United States isn't based on genetics
or appearance. Children of mixed unions, no matter what they look like, are
usually classified with the minority-group parent. Other cultures have different
ways of assigning racial labels, of socially constructing race. Latin American countries deal with race differently. In Brazil, for example,
full siblings may belong to different races if they look different. Brazilians
recognize many more races than Americans do. A person's racial identity can
change during his or her lifetime. It also varies depending on who is doing
the classifying. |
2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education