Meanings & Measures of Race

Ray Block Jr.

Fall Semester, 2020

Overview

Let’s talk about race (and ethnicity, and other related concepts). Specifically, we will explore how:

  • race is talked about (i.e.,meanings),
  • race is studied (i.e., measures), and
  • meanings and measures reflect/shape politics.

Defining Some Key Terms

Race

  • how people identify with social categories (e.g., Census)
  • often understood in terms of shared biological attributes

Defining Some Key Terms

Ethnicity

  • how people identify with learned aspects of themselves
  • often understood in terms of shared language and culture

Defining Some Key Terms

Racism

  • Basing decisions on racial considerations (for the purpose of subordinating/maintaining control over a racial group)

Defining Some Key Terms

Individual racism

  • When a person subordinates/controls/discriminates against others on the basis of race

Defining Some Key Terms

Institutional racism

  • When society’s accepted practices subordinates/controls/discriminates against others on the basis of race

Defining Some Key Terms

White supremacy

  • A belief system based on the idea that Black people are inferior/White people are superior
  • Not the same thing as racism, but often used to justify it

Defining Some Key Terms

Racialization and ethnicization

  • Attaching racial or ethnic meaning to someone/something that was not originally racial or ethnic
  • (e.g., “urban” as code for “minority”)

Defining Some Key Terms

Racecraft

  • Rather than assume race → racism, Fields & Fields (2012) argue that racism → race
  • racecraft = the illusion of race created by the practice of racialization

“But race is the child of racism, not the father” —Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me, 2015)

Defining Some Key Terms

See Bunyasi & Smith (2019) for a comprehensive list

Making Sense of Race

How race is talked about? (5 paradigms):

  1. Race as biology
  2. Race as ethnicity
  3. Race as class
  4. Race as nation
  5. Race as ideology

Making Sense of Race

For each paradigm, we explore:

  • what the major arguments are,
  • what assumptions scholars make, and
  • what the critiques against these paradigms are.

Making Sense of Race

Paradigm Major Argument Assumptions Critiques
Biology-based Inequality = f(Biological differences) Racial hierarchies are “natural” Promotes racism; little scientific backing
Ethnicity-based Inequality = f(Unsuccessful integration) Racial groups are similar to ethnic groups Race ≠ ethnicity; blaming the victim
Class-based Inequality = f(Class stratification) Class, not race is most important social division Race ≠ class; racism despite narrowing class gap
Nation-based Inequality = f(European imperialism) Race relations are a battle for socio-political power Colonial model does not fit U.S. context
Ideology-based Inequality = f(Ethnocentric worldviews) Race is a tool to perpetuate privilege Can we change the belief system?

Race and Politics

According to Omi & Winant (1994)

Race and Politics

Let’s turn to the readings…

  • Think about what authors say about the meanings/ measures of race
  • Think about the study of the study of race and politics