This week’s content was very fascinating to me! One reading we were assigned was the American Anthropological Association’s (AAA) Statement on Race. This represents what many of the anthropologists think. The other reading was the American Association of Physical Anthropologies’ (AAPA) statement on Biological Aspects on Race. Majority of the reading were aspects that need to be revised from the 19th century, according to the modern anthropologists. Today, we often associate the term “race” with where they originated from, or the color of their skin, or even simply the way they look. We use this term to separate individuals from one and another into groups with labels.
According to the American Anthropological Association (AAA), the term “race” was used differently back in the 18th century compared to the 20th century. Back then, it was a way to classify individuals based on economic, social, and political status. Whereas now, it is a way to classify individuals based on physical attributes. The American Anthropological Association states, ““Race” thus evolved as a worldview, a body of prejudgments that distorts our ideas about human differences and group behavior.” Basically, they concluded that we begin to judge individuals based on their “race” before even meeting them. The American Anthropological Association believe that we should move away from using the word “race” and start thinking about an individual’s culture. This is because, “human cultural behavior is learned, conditioned into infants beginning at birth, and always subject to modification.” Additionally, the American Association of Physical Anthropologies’ statement on Biological Aspects on Race also states that we are able to adapt to the community we choose to reside in: “Although heredity influences the behavioral variability of individuals within a given population, it does not affect the ability of any such populations to function in a given social setting.” Therefore, our personality or behavior is not determined by what we look like, our physical attributes, but rather by the environment we were raised in. Furthermore, we are free to adapt to a new environment.
As far as explaining the non-existence of biological race to a person who is unfamiliar with the topic goes, I would probably say something along the lines of this: Race is a term we, humans, have created to categorize each other. Although, there is nothing in our DNA that separates us into these racial classifications. The American Anthropological Association states, “Evidence from the analysis of genetics indicates the most physical variation, about 94%, lies within so-called racial groups. Conventional geographic “racial” groupings differ from one another only in about 6% of their genes. This means that there is a greater variation within “racial” groups than between them.” Basically, we may look different, but we all come from the same ancestors. With this information, knowing we are more similar than different, why do we continue to divide the human population into labels?
Overall, I think that these concepts of “race” versus “culture” need to be emphasized more in society. Personally, I see way more racial discrimination than I believe I should. Growing up in an Indian household, I have first-hand experienced racial discrimination as a child. A statement that really stuck out to me from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists was, “All humans living today belong to a single species, homo sapiens, and share a common descent.” Despite our differences, we all come from the same place, the same root. I believe that when people begin to judge others based on their skin color or physical characteristics, it is because they often forget that in the end, we are all humans. “Race” is a term we developed over the years and therefore, I believe is a term we can replace or better.