Racial And Ethnic Formation: A Comparative Analysis

To begin with, the aim of this paper is to respond to the article written by Ian F. Haney Lopez. The main idea of this article was to discuss the question of belonging of a person to this or that racial group. According to Lopez the construction of race is mostly based on the choice of the society, but not on the genetic or other information. My response to this article will be rather neutral because it is fifty percent agreed with her point of view and half a hundred percent disagreed.

For this week’s memo, I decided to read “Racial Formations” by Omi and Winant. The reading talks about the meaning of race as being defined and challenged throughout society in both collective and personal practices. It also suggests that racial categories are created, changed, ruined, and renewed. Omi and Winant explore the idea that the conception of race developed progressively, ultimately being created to validate and rationalize inequality. It began with the denial of political rights and extended into the introduction of slavery and other forms of forcible labor.

Racial Formation in the United States by Michael Omi and Howard Winant made me readjust my understanding of race by definition and consider it as a new phenomenon. Through, Omi and Winant fulfilled their purpose of providing an account of how concepts of race are created and transformed, how they become the focus of political conflict, and how they shape and permeate both identities and institutions. I always considered race to be physical characteristic by the complexion of ones’ skin tone and the physical attributes, such as bone structure, hair texture, and facial form. I knew race to be a segregating factor, however I never considered the meaning of race as concept or signification of identity that refers to different types of human bodies, to the perceived corporal and phenotypic makers of difference and the meanings and social practices that are ascribed to these differences, in which in turn create the oppressing dominations of racialization, racial profiling, and racism. (p.111). Again connecting themes from the previous readings, my westernized influences are in a direct correlation to how to the idea of how I see race and the template it has set for the rather automatic patterns of inequalities, marginalization, and difference. I never realized how ubiquitous and evolving race is within the United States.

what is a racial project. A racial project explains how “[racial dynamics] are simultaneously an interpretation, representation, and explanation” (Omi et. al 54). Racial projects offer insight how race is linked to both structure and representation by the ideology that is primarily evident by everyday practices whether it be found institutionally or individually. The Jim Crow Laws are a prominent and notable example of a racial project. Jim Crow Laws explores on a macro-level dimension of racial projects by stimulating the dichotomy of structure and

There two articles that give crucial information about how we as humans determine race and who is in control, these two articles are James Lull’s “Hegemony” and Michael Omi and Howard Winant’s “Racial Formations”. These two articles give insight on how race works within the world and helps give an understanding for the YouTube video clip of “Slap that Bass,” a musical number from the film Shall We Dance by Fred Astaire in 1937. In this video clip we only know one of the men’s names and it is Peter P. Peters who is a white male trying to blend classical ballet with jazz music who stumbles upon the cruise liners crew members below the deck and end up doing a jazz ballet dance number with them.

Charles Mills establishes the concept of the “Racial Contract” as an ongoing systematic cycle of racism and prejudice within the world enumerated in the social contract; causing white people to thrive; forcing subjugated people to abide through exploitation; and leaving a residue of an epistemology of ignorance to ensure its continuance. Mills denounces Locke as a constituent of the racial contract, imbibed in his seventeenth century racist practices. As a nation founded on the principles of Locke, the longevity of racism embedded in the United States exemplifies the culmination of Mills’ Racial Contract from its constitutional beginnings to applications in the modern prison industrial system to the prevalence of wrongful convictions based on race in our legal system. The Racial Contract not only exists, but evidentiary proof of its prevalence abundantly resides in our contemporary lives. However, as Americans, we remain ignorant to the problem by redefining answers to the question: Who is Racist?

What is ethnicity and why does it matter? Ethnicity is; “the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.” Our dreams and opinions create meaning about race and ethnicity, and plays an important role in shaping the way we understand race and ethnicity as part of our identity, our social institutions, our history, and our everyday lives. Often used mutually, race is a way of classifying individuals and groups on the analysis of physical characteristics, mainly one’s skin color. Ethnicity lays out one’s place of origin or nationality, one’s ancestry or cultural background``, one’s language and by extension, one’s belief system. Nevertheless, how does this affect how the authors ethical impacted

In Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, Alexander explains how racism in the U.S. has been “redesigned” in order to be written off as nearly nonexistent (Alexander, 2). Alexander goes on to

The social construction of race is a topic that is worth discussing. In the United States the black/white color line has historically been rigidly defined and enforced. People have been stereotypical and afraid as long as I can remember. Labeling people as we think they should be based on the color of their skin or just thinking it’s in their biology so they must be this or they must be that. Race is socially constructed and is not a biological construct.

Racial injustices are what have made America the powerful nation it is today. America was founded on the genocide of Native Americans and built on the backs of African slaves. In modern day America, strides have been made to provide all Americans equal opportunities to ensure assimilation and success in society however there is still significant work to be to ensure equality. In this paper I have researched the anthropological perspectives on race and ethnicity globally. I have also compared and contrasted varying researcher’s works to ensure I have a thorough understanding of this topic

To many people across a variety of different nationalities and cultures, race has been proven to be a key factor for how society views you in the eyes of those who are prominently in charge. The term race has been brought up in recent years, to be considered a form of identification, as the word race is used to describe physical characteristics such as a person’s color of skin, hair, and eyes. When in reality, the correct term they should be using is Ethnicity. As a result, the term race is used to separate people into sub-categories based on the color of their skin. This type of classification, is a man-made creation used by society to classify certain groups of people into lower classes, while keeping the predominate group in charge at the top.

In Omi and Winant, Racial Formation the topic of what race is brought up. They bring up the question of "What is race?" Which lead to the use of pseudo-science to justify the physical difference that were observed. Race is later defined as a social construct which is shaped by broader societal forces.

People are usually categorized in terms of race and/or ethnicity. Race is a term typically used to classify people according to similar and specific physical characteristics. Ethnicity is a term more broadly used that connects people according to an inherited status such as: a shared ancestry, language, history, religion, cuisine, art, clothing style, and/or physical appearance, etc.

Ethnicity is all around us in the world. It has a special mark on every person in the world because it is what makes everyone different in their own ways. Ethnicity has different topics that branch off into others. Examples of these are Nationality, Race, Diversity, and Culture. Each of these topics have an impact on every person and group of people in good and bad ways; the top major 2 being Race and Ethnicity. Ethnicity and Race is crucial to determine who a person really is and what also brings out the light to the rest of the world.

Understanding race and racism can be very difficult for American citizens. This also leads to confusion when discussing current events around racial disparities and inequalities. Mainstream American general society views racism and race differently than sociologist who study these disparities and inequalities. The idea of double consciousness and ethnicity directly relate to the different ways in which different individuals understand and experience race and racism. In our current society where media is widely used, individual’s understandings of these topics becomes confusing and difficult to understand and/or comprehend. Discussing the blurry ideas of race and racism is so