Racism

Abstract

In this research we try to discover the insight of “Racism” in a holistic perspective as race is a marker of difference among humans based on physical features such as skin color or hair color/texture. The key heart of the study is on “Racism” The research also examines various characteristics of “Racism” and tries to measure its effect. Lastly the research illustrates a variety of factors which are responsible for “Racism” and tries to describe the overall effect of it.

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Discussion1

The Nature and Origins of Racism3

The Social Construction of Race4

Theoretical Criticisms5

The Racism Scale6

Relations to Other Forms of Racism7

Institutionalized racism7

Personally mediated racism8

Internalized racism8

Conclusion8

Racism

Introduction

Racism is a form of prejudice against African Americans that developed in the United States after the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. It is characterized by beliefs that racism is not a continuing problem, that African Americans should put forth their own efforts to overcome their situation in society without special assistance, and that African Americans are too demanding and have gotten more than they deserve. At the roots of Racism are basic beliefs that Blacks violate cherished U.S. values. The idea that the quality of prejudice toward Blacks can shift over time has spawned important generalizations of the theory to other groups, such as women (see the entry titled “Modern Sexism”), recent immigrant groups (including Asians and Latinos in North America and Turks in Europe), the obese, and gays, among others.

The term Racism was introduced in 1981 by John McConahay in the literature on group processes and intergroup relations, but the theory behind it had emerged in 1971 with the name symbolic racism. Because Racism theory was derivative of symbolic racism theory, the two positions were originally closely aligned conceptually and, in fact, difficult to distinguish substantively. However, in recent years, developments in symbolic racism (e.g., concerning the origins of the attitudes) have distinguished the positions more clearly. This entry examines Racism and relevant criticisms, describes measurement tools, and contrasts the concept with related theories.

Discussion

Race is a marker of difference among humans based on physical features such as skin color or hair color/texture. Historically, race was treated as a biological or “scientific” method of human classification, in which racial “groups” were defined by the presence or absence of particular inheritable traits. This argument was tied to failed theories such as social Darwinism—which applied Darwinian notions of competition among species to competition within the human population—and environmental determinism, which argued that particular social traits were inherent to people living in particular, places due to the environmental and climactic characteristics of each place. These theories were developed during the colonial era and were used by those in power to rationalize the exploitation or extermination of particular “racial” groups. The scientific basis for race has since been refuted, as multiple studies have shown that there is greater genetic diversity within racially defined groups than exists among those groups.

Simply put, there is no biological basis for race. Yet, despite its failings as a scientific concept, race today exists ...