Race In American Culture

Today in American culture, and many cultures across the world, "race" has become a means of human identification. Anthropologist, Audrey Smedley, researched how this sense of self identification has lead to negative effects, and how this actuality has developed over time. Examples of these negative effects as a result of racial identification have played a great role in America's history, and anthropologist, Faye V. Harrison delves into how it has shaped our view on "race" today, and ways in which anthropological discourse on race could benefit the public. Both articles discuss how "race" has transformed into a new identity through which we determine social structure. It influences us daily in how we perceive ourselves and others, leading …show more content…
Most biologists and anthropologists do not recognize race as a biologically valid classification, in part because there is more genetic variation within groups than between them. However, popular belief on the relevance of race has changed frequently over time. Race and its ideology about biological deviation derives from the beginning of the slavery of Africans by Europeans, even though slavery had existed throughout history long before without any racial identity being a factor. The English enslaved the Irish as a result of hostile relations, and some Englishmen even proposed a law to enslave their poorest citizens. But demand for forced labor became too great, and social reconstruction began when freed white slaves demanded for land and other privileges. This is when colonists turned to Africans for forced labor. They were hardworking, had immunities to many diseases, and had nowhere to escape when transported across oceans. In an effort to justify their actions in a progressive era, slave-traders changed the public's perspective by portraying Africans as Godless people that needed that needed their souls to be saved. So began the era of racial discrimination against Africans in America. As the image of Africans began to change in the late 18th century, people began to push for equality. Pro-slavery advocates once again used religion as their defense, arguing that Africans were naturally inferior, and that their God-given attributes made them ideal slaves. What was once a "race" of people became a "type" of people. By focusing on physical deviations and power inequality between the white Europeans and those enslaved, people linked the sociopolitical status and self identity to