Week 1 Discussion: Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity

Week one discussion: Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity
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Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity
From social perspectives, race and ethnicity are considered social constructs.  The race is often used to define a group of people who share substantial physical resemblance covering inherited physical features such as skin color, facial features, and stature. However, there is an issue of contestation where some people categorized race as biological while others feel that race is a social construct. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (2020), race has no genetic or scientific basis. However, it has far-reaching implications, such as leverage to justify systems of power, privilege, disenfranchisement, and oppression. The race is a social construct designed to divide people into groups based on superiority and inferiority.
First, as earlier noted, race lacks a biological basis. Still, racial identity exists, and in some societies, everyone is assigned a racial identity whether they are aware of it or not (National Museum of African American History and Culture (2020). The racial identity appears to be more of a social construct than biological reason. It is relevant observed in racism as a form of prejudice, discrimination, and sidelining some particular groups by a race that is perceived to be more ‘dominant.’
The biological basis for understating race is controversial. Critics are exploring the weakest links when defining race using the biological background. The great physical diversity within race makes it impossible to argue that race may have almost similar features. There is a great variation in skin color, hair texture, and stature, among other things, making it to say that race share similar biological b...