Social Construction and Genetics

The argument that race is a genetic predisposition is an old one, and certainly an important one, as it has been practiced among governments and other such institutions for centuries. This argument however, leads to unwanted implications of genetic inequality between the races that we have learned is simply not the case. There are no inherent differences between individual races that aren't arbitrarily constructed by society. In fact, it seems apparent that there are more variations in appearance and personality within a single race than there are cross-culturally.

Here, we will see that without the arbitrary language that defines and constructs racial differences, society would not be able to see any differences at all. Based upon the ideas set forth in postcolonial and postmodern theory, we will surmise that race is simply a social construct, rather than an inherent basis for biological conclusions. In other words, there is nothing inherently "black" about the social construct of "black"; there is nothing inherently "Asian" in the social construct "Asian", and so forth.

The arguments supporting the opposite thesis that race is most certainly a biological construct are in a large percentage, racist, or white supremacist. We have seen this in history. During the second World War, members of the Nazi party whom supposed themselves as academics, attempted to prove that members of the "Arian" race were smarter, stronger or inhere

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nherent that makes us call a leaf a "leaf". Rather, the name is simply an arbitrary label that society has placed upon the imace of that object. In the same manner, it seems to be understood that there is no inherent "blackness" about the social construct of the "black race", and nothing inherently "Asian" about the "Asian race". These are only labels that society has placed upon these groups, based upon the observation of traits that it deemed important. If, for instance, race had been judges solely on eye color, rather than "black" and "Asian", society would see races with such socially constructed labels as "blue and "brown". Bell Hooks refers to this phenomenon in reference to the African-American race. That is, those of the "black race", living in America. Postmodern critiques of essentialism which challenge notions of universality and static over-determined identity within mass culture and mass consciousness can open up new possibilities for the construction of self and assertion of agency...Such a critique allows us to affirm multiple black identities, varied black experience. It also challenges colonial imperialist paradigms of black identity which represent blackness one-dimensionally in ways that reinforce and su

Category: Psychology - S