Race and Ethnicity in America .

This essay discusses the concept of race, its historical origins, purpose, and impact on policies and institutions. It explores the importance of race in today's world against the backdrop of the documentary series, Race the Power of an Illusion.

Running head: RACE AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICA
Race and Ethnicity in America
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Discuss the concept of Race, explain its historical origins, purpose and use of Race as an
idea and its impact on through policies and institutions. In what ways does race matter
today?
Before the discussion proceeds, it needs to be cleared out that there lies a fine line of
difference between race and ethnicity. As far as race is concerned, it has got more to do with the
biological aspect which attributes the physical characteristic features like, colour of the skin,
facial features, height, colour of the hair to a human being. To be more biologically specific, it is
the genes that the body inherits from the predecessors becomes the determinant factor of the
physical attributes of a human being and the respective collectivity. Ethnicity does have a racial
undertone to it but the societal, customary, habitual, value perceptions are more important than
race in this particular context. Over the years, due to globalization and also due to coming closer
of people belonging to different ethnic backgrounds, that the distinction between race and
ethnicity has almost been blurred. That is owing to the eastern civilization versus western
civilization narrative. Having said that, the discussion shall now be proceeding to emphasize
upon the thesis statement of the essay, that is of the importance of race in today’s world, against
the backdrop of the ideas explored in the documentary series, Race the Power of an Illusion. The
documentary series seeks to look for answers that tends to link race with society, politics, history
and science.
In the following sections the basic ideas portrayed in the documentary series shall be discussed.
Racial difference existed since time immemorable, however the phenomenon of racialism, that is
the notion that one race is superior to the other has gathered a political and social significance
due to three factors significantly.

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Primarily with colonialism whereby the European nations had begun its overseas venture out into
Asia, Africa and Latin America to gain colonies to supplement the industries back home in
Europe. Race as a tool for asserting the superiority of the European colonisers over the subjects
in the colonies, as a hegemonising force.
“Race is a concept that was invented to categorize the perceived biological, social, and cultural
differences between human groups.” ("Race - The Power of an Illusion: The Difference Between
Us - DIVA", 2018)
This particular quote shows that race is just a social construct and biology and scientific
justification is just a manipulative attempt to justify the notion that some races are superior while
some are inferior. This proves the futility of race.
“Race is a human invention. We created it, we have used it in ways that have been in many,
many respects quite negative and quite harmful. And we can think ourselves out of it. We made
it, we can unmake it.” ("Race - The Power of an Illusion: The Difference Between Us - DIVA",
2018)
Secondly, at the end of the cold war and collapse of USSR, USA tried to win over the world with
its developmentalist agenda. Through it the superiority of the western civilizations was once
again asserted, citing the fabricated fact that the greatness of a civilization was directly
proportional to the industrialization, rate of production and purchasing power a country had.
Since the west was already ahead than the third world in this aspect, the latter was expected to
follow and imitate the former in order to assert its position of importance in the world.

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“And the beauty of that ideology is that it justifies what is the greatest, uh, social agony of
American life, namely, it justifies the inequalities that exist in a society which is said to be based
on equality.” ("Race - The Power of an Illusion: The Story We Tell - DIVA", 2018)
The third historical aspect of race is directly related to policy decisions and the institutions of the
government. The 1970s and then onwards is marked by mass immigration of population from the
former colonies to the countries of the former colonisers, in search of better livelihood and
income opportunities. The mass exodus was basically a response to the lack of opportunities and
to avoid the perils of rebuilding the countries in the post-colonial period, on part of the former
colonies. The colonizers had on the other hand through policy decisions tried to integrate the
people from the former colonies. Contracts and agreements were also reached at which sought to
take in people from the former colonies to conduct the work in the growing number of industries
of the countries of the former colonisers, and at the same time also compensate for the losses,
atrocites and drain of wealth caused by the colonisers to the colonies.
“It's been a long, long time, you know, since, the abolition of slavery, you know, African-
American slavery, in, in this country. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, those ideas are still
around.” ("Race - The Power of an Illusion: The Story We Tell - DIVA", 2018)
This shows that the world has changed but the ideas that revolve around race and the superiority
and inferiority narrative has been maintained. Responding to different situations, and for serving
a specific purpose, race has been manipulated and over time the hierarchy has been consolidated.
Thus the documentary series has been successful in portraying the fact that race is futile.

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References
Race - The Power of an Illusion: The Difference Between Us - DIVA. (2018). Retrieved from
https://diva.sfsu.edu/bundles/190264
Race - The Power of an Illusion: The Story We Tell - DIVA. (2018). Retrieved from
https://diva.sfsu.edu/bundles/190265

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