Adilene Munoz

Professor: Teresa L. Potter

ANTH 1020

07/28/2017

Biological and Social Perspective of Race

Race has the power to separate humanity into the smallest divisions of groups it derives

from the biological foundation of physical phenotypes. They are visible traits such as skin color,

eye shape, hair texture, and even bone structure. These traits have been used to support racist

reports of various marginalized groups. These traits are rooted into our society and they persist

to foster institutional discrimination. It involves the mistreatment of people that can be socially

damaging for many.

As humans, we all share a common descent, we belong to a single species, Homo Sapiens which

can also be referred to as polytypic species. The biological differences between humans can be

influenced by the environment or hereditary factors in some cases it can be both. Skin color and

body shapes are a result of evolution, for instance people who live on the equator have darker

skin because they need the UV protection. Just like the North has people with lighter skin

because they need vitamin D, they also have less melanin which give the skin pigmentation.

Another example is that tall lean bodies, are preferred in hot climates for heat evaporation. Short

stocky bodies are needed in cold climates for heat retention. The size and shape of the body can

also be influenced by childhood nutrition, prenatal health of mother, sunlight, and toxins.
 But unfortunately, these traits have been categorized as race which creates a division

among humans. Race is geographically patterned physical differences between local populations

of the same species. Race first appeared in the English language in the 1500s to classify the

human race, but since the 1600s race has been used to classify different cultural groups like the

Japanese race. Biological determinism came later in the 1850s, Europeans started to imply that

there was a connection between physical appearances that determined your intelligence, morals,

values, social and economic status. In other words, Cultural variations were believed to be

inherited in the same way biological differences are (Jurmain 314), when culture is something

that is learned down generations. Finally, in the 1950s the word ethnicity came in to view, which

refers to a shared culture. But again, this word just like race was has been used to reflect social

phenotypes, which is another example of how phenotype is used to culturally explain variables.

There are many misconceptions about race and there are many differences between humans, but

most of these differences are due to the geographical location.

As stated previously, ethnicity and race have an enormous impact on your social identity.

Historically, the concept of race has changed across cultures and eras, eventually becoming less

connected with ancestral and familial ties, and more concerned with superficial physical

characteristics (Little, McGriven). But since the term race was developed during a time of

racial science which was common then but not as much now, instead there is racialization.

Marginalized groups become marked as unequal and are lesser because of their appearance. They

get unequal treatment because of the misconceptions and stereotypes created about that certain

group. This also goes to show how far society is away from understanding race from a biological

perspective and not just a social one.

 Stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about groups of people. Stereotypes can be based

on race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientationalmost any characteristic (Little, Mcgriven).

One of the most social findings concerning race is stereotyping and the harm that it causes in a

person. Because it has the power to reduce the performance of an individual, it lessens creativity

in an individual because they are already being subjected to a negative stereotype. Labeling can

also cause the person to doubt their own abilities. It has become more common to categorize

people based off their appearances one of the most particular way is skin color because it is one

of the most visible traits. The person is subjected to a stereotype that is not based of their

personality instead it is the based off certain situations. Stereotyping is in one of the main

reasons why there is racism and the gender gap in academic performance in society today.

Categorizing race by groups does not reflect natural division because these divisions are

being created by humans. This makes it so that groups are divided by observed phenotypes, they

are open to bias. Once these groups are categorized they are just pushed into one misconception

or stereotype even if it does not reflect that specific person, they can also be misleading. Then

people decide whether they are accepted based on the physical phenotypes that they have no

control over. Categorizing groups also makes it so that there is a dominant group while the

marginalized groups are denied opportunities to help them function and be successful in society.

Race does not define the intelligence, morals, values, and ethics of an individual. Yes, the

biological perspective of race is complex and categorizing just over simplifies the whole concept.

But, if more people learned the biological qualities of race there would more equality.
 Work Cited
Robert, Lynn,Wenda,Eric J. Bartelink. Essentials of Physical Anthropology, Tenth Edition.
Cengage Learning, 2013.
Published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, vol. 101, pp 569-570, 1996
First published Wed May 28, 2008; substantive revision Wed Feb 17, 2016
William, and Ron McGriven. BC Open Text book, Introduction to Sociology, 1st Canadian
Edition, https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/front-matter/about-the-book/.
Accessed 03 August 2017.
http://adilenem.weebly.com/anthropology.html