Race as a Social Construction

            The issue of race has been a topic in the human past for the past several centuries.  It has been heavily debated and discussed by sociologists, as no concrete, universal, or constant criteria for what actually determines race has been defined and agreed upon.  It originally was based off of genetic lineage, but later (in the past couple centuries) adopted a sense of physical appearance.  Out of many instances of these debates and discussions, Latin America has proved to be a particularly tricky area for racial distinctions and definitions.  With such a mix of people and cultures it’s no surprise that these distinctions and racial boundaries are difficult to determine.  Several sociological studies have shown that the social construction of race in Latin American countries has become increasingly hard to define because of ethnic mixing and globalization.  While race has been an important area of sociological study for a long time, perhaps it is time to do away with these social constructions that limit and maybe even distort the perspectives held about particular individuals, groups or cultures.

            Across the board, those who self identify as Latin American are represented by different skin tones, hair colors, eye colors, physique, and many other factors.  These individuals can vary in appearance so much so that anyone could assume their identities be tied to two completely different parts of the world.  For example, physical features could lead someone to assume a Latin American to be from East Asia or Africa based on their drastically different skin tone and eye shape.  Indeed there are individuals in places such as Peru, who appear to have Asian ancestry, while other people in Brazil or Cuba are exceedingly dark, and consequently, of African descent.  The problem with determining these racial boundaries for Latin Americans is because over time (much like the rest of world history, right?) humans have actively intermixed regardless of appearance.

            Seeing as we have grown in our knowledge of sociology, biology, and other fields, I suggest it is important to think critically on the term “race.”  Especially with racism so prevalent in today’s society, I believe that the idea of race as a social construction needs a bit more attention.  By educating people with the concept of what a social construction is, we have the chance to decrease racism, violence, hatred, genocide, and other horrible mindsets and actions that only hurt people.  This awareness could spark a new age for social sciences and human thought.  Not to mention, the education of why social constructions such as race could spread to other areas deeply embedded into the social psyche, such as the economic system, gender issues, and patriarchal ideals.  A newfound awareness of these issues could spark a shift in human thinking to where these social constructions become outdated and rejected, and ultimately lead towards a brighter future focused on the unity we share as humans, and celebration, instead of criticism, of our individual differences.

http://oakes.ucsc.edu/academics/Core%20Course/oakes-core-awards-2012/laura-flores.html

http://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/peter.wade/articles/Blackwell%20Poole.pdf