Race is a social construct, a way that people divide themselves into groups based on their physical characteristics. Many people think that races are biologically distinct, and that differences between these groups can be used to explain certain health disparities. But contemporary science shows that this belief is unfounded. In fact, most of the genetic variation in human beings is within populations, not between them. Moreover, the distinctions that are observed in the physical appearance of populations are not reflected in genetic data.
Scientists who study human evolution have largely moved away from the language of races. The term population has replaced it, and scientists now discuss genetic differences in terms of genotypes (groups of genes) and evolutionary lineage. In a biological context, it is important to distinguish between different genotypes and different evolutionary lineages because they have very different implications for how humans can be categorized and classified.
However, this move has not eliminated the importance of the concept of race as a social convention and tool for social control and exploitation. In the past, the idea of biologically distinct races allowed Europeans to justify their colonization and enslavement of other nations, including Africa. And even after the Civil Rights Movement ended American slavery, it took decades to undo the harm done by a society that grew rich on the exploitation of cheap black labor.
Today, the notion of racial difference continues to be used to support many different types of discrimination and inequality in America and around the world. Some examples include the use of racial categories to determine eligibility for public benefits such as housing, education and employment. In addition, the classification of individuals into racial categories is often used to inform criminal justice policies and law enforcement practices.
In addition to the societal and economic costs of racism, there are also significant medical implications associated with the concept of race. Some diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, are associated with genetic ancestry and can be predicted by looking at an individual’s family history. Nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that health disparities do not solely reflect the impact of genetics, but are also affected by social factors such as education, socioeconomic status and living conditions.
The term ‘ethnicity’ is distinct from ‘race’ because the former refers to cultural factors such as language, religion, cuisine and ancestry that specific communities share. The distinction is important because a definition of race that is culture-free is necessary in order to discuss the issue of genetic ancestry in a scientific context.
Americans from a variety of backgrounds have very different opinions about how the concept of race plays out in their lives. For example, blacks are more likely than whites to say that being black has hurt their ability to get ahead. In contrast, three-in-ten Hispanics and Asians say that their racial or ethnic origin has helped them. These differences in perceptions are consistent with a wide range of data showing that racial and ethnic identity is a source of unearned advantages for some groups in the United States.