Why Race and Ethnicity Matter in the Social World

Not everyone is interested in educating themselves about their own roots. There are people who lack the curiosity to know the huge background that encompasses their ancestry. But if you are one of those who would like to know the diverse colors of your race and ethnicity, you might want to know first the difference between these two concepts.

How can we define both the concept of race and ethnicity? Erin Blakemore of National Geographic simplified the definition of race by associating it with our physical characteristics. Blakemore cited a definition from Merriam-Webster saying race is “a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits.” A person’s skin color or hair texture can be indicators of his race. Therefore, one can associate race with a person’s biological traits. Ethnicity, on the other hand, focuses more on culture. According to Merriam-Webster, ethnicity refers to “large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic or cultural origin or background.” This concept is associated with how people identify and express themselves culturally. Many people interchange the use of race and ethnicity. In fact, these words underwent a long history of finetuning before physiologists and anthropologists agreed to the present context where these words are being used.

According to Kory Stamper of Conscious Style Guide, the word “race” was first used in the 1500s and it referred to groups of people who shared a common cultural marker such as language and religion. Hence, people are referred to as “the English race”, “the Scottish race”, or “the Jewish race”. However, in the 1700s, Stamper claimed that experts started using the word to refer to categories based on the physical characteristics of the people and set the cultural background aside. Stamper asserted that these physical characteristics include “skin color, head shape, perceived temperament, and intelligence.” Stamper also discussed that while the word “race” undergoes different levels of correction for accuracy, the term “ethnicity” was then coined.

Race and ethnicity can be perceived as social constructs. Although the concept of race and ethnicity still brings confusion to some people, Blakemore argued that both concepts are “social constructs used to categorize and characterize seemingly distinct populations.” Both race and ethnicity cannot be detected in the human genome. Genetic tests can only give a couple of clues about a person’s race or ethnicity but it will never be able to identify or verify one’s racial or ethnic identity. Although race cannot be determined by examining one’s genetic makeup, Blakemore further argued that it still “shapes human experiences.” For example, racial violence and discrimination remain the result of racial bias. People who are part of the “higher race” enjoy social privilege while those who are born to others belong in the “less desirable race” and still lobby for their basic rights. The concept of race has a very big contribution to how a person experiences the world.

Moreover, the way the government labels people as “White”, “Black or African American”, “American Indian or Alaska Native”, “Asian”, “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander” affects how policies are created and implemented. The United States Census Bureau explicitly emphasizes how information on race can affect the legislative principles of the country.

Saffron Karlsen and James Nazroo authored a study called “Agency and structure: the impact of ethnic identity and racism on the health of ethnic minority people.” The study was able to identify five distinct dimensions of ethnicity. These dimensions are approaches to ethnic self-definition and expression. The researchers surveyed almost 3,000 participants with Carribean, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian or African Asian ethnic backgrounds. From their responses, the researchers extracted five dimensions of ethnicity. Two of the most distinct were how people identify their ethnicity based on their national or geographic location and what their skin color is. The researchers further claimed that the way people identify their ethnicities may vary from one another. Other people consider the importance of nationality while others do not and see skin color as more important. The other three dimensions are how a person sees the meaning of being a member of a particular group or having a sense of inclusion, how a person develops politicized identities in reaction to a feeling of exclusion and lastly, how exposure to different racial violence “enforces a sense of common experience and groupness.”

And the last one: why do race and ethnicity matter? Society today calls for us to be more sensitive and appreciative of one’s racial and ethnic identity. There have been many campaigns calling for everyone to recognize the importance of respecting race and ethnicity. Linda Charmaraman and Jennifer Grossman claimed that race has developed a negative connotation for some people as it has been associated with prejudice and bias. Ethnicity, on the other hand, has been associated with cultural inclusion and a sense of belongingness. Although these two concepts differ in meaning, the two have political implications as they become two of the main important considerations in creating policies for issues such as health care, housing, education, and economic development. Racial discrimination and ethnic bias have a long history of violence in humankind and people in history have given up their lives to end it.