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In 1901, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois argued that, “the problem of the 20th century is the problem of colour line” (DuBois, 1901) which categorises individuals by their physical characteristics alone. He set out to demonstrate what it was like for black people, living through the African-American Civil Right Movement at the turn of the Twentieth Century (Encyclopaedia Britanica, 1985). Since the turn of the Twentieth Century there has been great progress made for those on the other side of the ‘colour line’ but the problems associated with race remains. In the Twenty First Century the ‘colour line ‘of which Du Bois refers to, still needs to be broken. This essay will explore how ‘race’ has developed though out history; it will examine ‘race’ in the Twenty First Century and how it impacts on people’s lives along with the xenophobia felt by some of the world’s population. The essay will also provide evidence to argue the fact that, ‘race’ is only skin deep and that there are no biological differences between each ‘race’.
The difference of race is one of the reasons why I fear war may always exist; because race implies difference, difference implies superiority, and superiority leads to predominance. – Benjamin Disraeli (as cited in Bolander, et al., 1969, p.249)
Race is something that has caused friction and war amongst the populations of the globe for centuries. According to Brittanica.com (2013), the term race was used to was first used to categorise humans in the late 16th century, previously to that early civilisations used class, status, religion and language to group different members of society together (Rogow, 2003). Even before the word ‘race’ was actually used it is evident that class and status played a major role ...
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O'Mahony, J., 2013. Class Reading. waterford: s.n. pbs.org, 2013. Fugitive Slaves and Northern Racism. [Online]
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[Accessed 07 12 2013]. richmond.edu, 2009. The Rise of Jim Crow in Southern Education. [Online]
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Rogow, D. F., 2003. Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Race. In: J. Cheng, L. Adelman, J. Sommers & T. Howard, eds. Race the Power of Illusion. San Francisco: California Newsreel, p. 4.
Selfa, L., 2002. Slavery and the origins of racism. [Online]
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Simkin, J., 2013. Black Codes. [Online]
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First, I will examine Omi and Winant’s approach. They made a clear distinction between ethnicity and race and only discussed how races are formed. They also define race as a constantly being transformed by political struggle and it is a concept which signifies and symbolizes social conflicts and interests by
Dyson, Michael Eric. 1996. Race rules: navigating the color line. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co.
Winant, Howard. 2000 "Race and race theory." Annual review of sociology ():-. Retrieved from http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/winant/Race_and_Race_Theory.html on Mar 17, 1980
After slavery ended, many hoped for a changed America. However, this was not so easy, as slavery left an undeniable mark on the country. One problem ended, but new problems arose as blacks and whites put up “color lines” which led to interior identity struggles. These struggles perpetuated inequality further and led W. E. B. Du Bois to believe that the only way to lift “the Veil” would be through continuing to fight not only for freedom, but for liberty - for all. Others offered different proposals on societal race roles, but all recognized that “double consciousness” of both the individual and the nation was a problem that desperately needed to be solved.
W.E.B. & C.B. Du Bois articulates the true meaning of the problem of the color-line through his vast knowledge of American history and descriptive personal scenarios. Du Bois attempts to explain why the "problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line" (Dubois 13). In his essay, Du Bois uses both a rational and an emotional appeal by underlining the facts of racial discrimination through Jim Crow Laws and lynching, and his personal references of childhood memories to demonstrate his perspective of the problems of African Americans. Du Bois effectively reaches his audience by earnestly convincing the people of the North and the South that African Americans are human beings of flesh and blood. They have their own cultures, beliefs, and most importantly, souls.
Du Bois argues in this quote that “basic racial difference between human beings and had suffered not change,” meaning that racism is still a pressing issue. In this quote he essentially asks the questions, why wont the idea of racism die? Du Bois then links the persistence of racism to economic incentives when he states, “and clung to it… the modern African slave trade a tremendous economic structure and eventually the industrial revolution had been based on racial differences.” As illustrated in this quote, the link between economics and racial indifferences is one reason Du Bois offers as an explanation for why racism has been able persist even until today. The perpetuation of racism and racial difference is how society allocates status and wealth, while socialization maintains the idea of racism Du Bois argues
Our daily lives are affected by race whether we are aware of it or not. How we live different aspects of our lives depend on the colour of our skin. From the types of jobs we have, the income we earn, where we live etc. In societies fundamentally structured by race, it is important that we do not abandon the notion of race, but instead pioneer a revolution in the way that races are understood. In this paper, I will examine how the dominant groups in society define race in terms of biology, which leads to the notion of white privilege, which is their advantaged position in society, at the expense of other racial groups.
In society, race clearly affects one’s life chances. These are the chances of getting opportunities and gaining experience for progression. The social construction of race is based on privileges and availability of resources. Looking at society and the formation of race in a historical context, whites have always held some sort of delusional belief of a “white-skin privilege.” This advantage grants whites an advantage in society whether one desires it or not. This notion is often commonly referred to as reality.
Race has no biological meaning. There is only one human race; there are no subspecies, no single defining characteristic, traits, or even gene, separates one “race” from another. Instead of being a biological concept, race is a social construct, and a relatively modern one at that. It was created to give light-skinned Europeans an advantage by making the white race superior and all others inferior. Throughout its history, the concept of race has served this purpose well.
Race, in the common understanding, draws upon differences not only of skin color and physical attributes but also of language, nationality, and religion. Race categories are often used as ethnic intensifiers, with the aim of justifying the exploitation of one group by another. Race is an idea that has become so fixed in American society that there is no room for open-mindedness when challenging the idea of racial categories. Over the years there has been a drastic change with the way the term "race" is used by scientists. Essentially, there is a major difference between the biological and sociological views of race.
Race as a “…social and historical idea, not biological” (Palaita, Lecture 1/25/18), only works because according to Social Construction Theory, “…these categories work because our complacency allows us to presume that the identities are natural and a group’s social status relies on biology, rather than social/cultural circumstances” (Palaita, Lecture 1/25/18). Our unwillingness to challenge these identities has allowed these categories to be used to determine who will be on the advantageous side of the inequality we face here in the United States. If we no longer accepted these conditions, and change the way social groups are viewed and treated, we may create a new norm and close the inequality gap between social
Discrimination has always been there between blacks and whites. Since the 1800s where racial issues and differences started flourishing till today, we can still find people of different colors treated unequally. “[R]acial differences are more in the mind than in the genes. Thus we conclude superiority and inferiority associated with racial differences are often socially constructed to satisfy the socio-political agenda of the dominant group”(Heewon Chang,Timothy Dodd;2001;1).
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Dubois is a influential work in African American literature and is an American classic. In this book Dubois proposes that "the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line." His concepts of life behind the veil of race and the resulting "double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others," have become touchstones for thinking about race in America. In addition to these lasting concepts, Souls offers an evaluation of the progress of the races and the possibilities for future progress as the nation entered the twentieth century.
hroughout the world’s history, there were different groups of people all over the globe yet to face each other. These groups developed their own culture, and way of life that was distinctly different to others in many aspects. Before in depth knowledge of human origins, creation, and biological characteristics of this species, people were identified based on physical characteristics. For example, the chief in a tribe would wear something to distinguish himself from the others. More specifically, tribes would wear different clothing and speak different languages. Similarly, in past Europe, one would determine where a person is from based on their dress, language, or distinct physical features. It seems there was a need to distinguish people for various reasons that were positive. However, the introduction of “races” gave groups of people that had similar physical characteristics the ability to claim that one group was better than the other because of these differences. The result of this mentality resulted in many years of colonization; slavery and massacres due to physical differences, mainly skin color. Not only were some people made inferior, but also the superiors believed that they were lesser because of physical differences, lower intellect, and lack of usefulness for anything other than to serve. Blunt examples of racism thrived for hundreds of years all over the world, such as slavery, lynching, and holocaust. However, other forms of racism developed and are present in America’s society today. Institutional racism is a type of discrimination that is discreet and involves the actions of government organizations unfairly disadvantaging a certain group of people. Today, the prevalence of black males and females in prisons is h...
In that setting, racial difference and racial hierarchy can be made to appear with seeming spontaneity as a stabilizing force. They can supply vivid natural means to lock an increasingly inhospitable and lonely social world in place and to secure one 's own position in turbulent environments (Gilroy, 430).