Racial Identity And Race And Ethnicity

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 order to study ethnicity, one must know what it isn’t. Ethnicity is not race, nationality, locality, or religious denomination. Ethnicity is when people share the same cultural heritage. However, in society individuals are often categorized by race. Many believe that race is genetic, meaning that different races are genetically different. This idea has been in practiced since the early 18th century. With the development of technology, specifically DNA testing, scientists studied whether racial categories were actually genetically different. The scientist found that there were more differences between individuals of the same race, than individuals from two different races. (Adelman 2003). The experiment and other research show that race is not biological and unimportant factor in the human lineage. What make race important is how society defines race. Society uses race to categorize groups of people, which can often lead to social inequality.

The race I identify with is white. While for some people it is difficult to decide, I don’t have trouble determining that. My mom’s side is almost all Polish and Yugoslavic, and my dad’s side is a mixture of several European countries. I have lived

Kwame Anthony Appiah’s The race, Culture, Identity: Misunderstood, questions racial labeling of all sorts. What is the difference between race, ethnicity and culture? Appiah reevaluates people’s ways of thinking, which encourages his readers to think outside of the norms to analyze what their definition of race is. He argues that if one rejects the existence of racism, which is the idea that there are distinctions of our species, then that person cannot adhere to the fact that there are hereditary differentiations such as superior or inferior ethnicities. That individual insinuates that we are equal in all racial related aspects, but that is not the case in our current environment.

Race and ethnicity are two different terms which are often confused. Neither race nor ethnicity are biologically classifiable, and are truly socially identifiable classifications. As defined by Cohen (2015:75) race is “a group of people believed to share common descent, based on perceived innate physical similarities.” Cohen (2015:79) defines ethnicity as “a group of people with a common cultural identification, based on a combination of language, religion, ancestral origin, or traditional practices.” Finally, Cohen (2015:79) defines racial ethnicity as “an ethnic group perceived to share physical characteristics.” Race, then, is more focused on relation of physical similarities, while ethnicity is

Race is a way to categorize people with similarly perceived biological characteristics into one labeled group. However, race has no biological standing, as race highly “depends on our social location [and] on who is doing the [classification]” (Henslin, 2015, p. 266). Ethnicity averts from race in that ethnicity exemplifies the ancestry and cultural heritage in which one affiliates themselves with. A “sense of belonging may center on their nation or region of origin, distinctive foods, clothing, language, music, religion, or family names and relationships” (Henslin, 2015, p. 266). Both race and ethnicity are exceedingly interchanged with one another even though the terms have different meanings. A great example of this misinterpretation of race and ethnicity is the Jewish “race.” “Jews […] are more properly considered an ethnic group, since it is their cultural characteristics, especially their religion, that bind them together” (Henslin, 2015, p. 266-267). Despite the fact that race and ethnicity are distinctive ideas, they do come together in the way of identifying one group from another; whether it be by characteristics or cultural heritage. Race and ethnicity are also similar in that a person can identify with multiple ethnicities or races; as they may have two parents from different cultures. Albeit, race and ethnicity are related in ways, but they still

The United States is becoming an increasingly diverse country in regards to race and ethnicity. However, there are many misunderstandings and stereotypes regarding different population groups and the issue of race. Race has many definitions and one description given by Rose is that race is a “biological variation including genetic differences in stature, skin color, hair color, facial shape, and other inherited characteristics that may or may not be mutually exclusive in each individual”(Rose, 2013). Race is often confused with ethnicity which involves a group or individual’s perception of their cultural identity which is inclusive of learned behaviors used by human beings in their natural

Race and Ethnicity are integral parts of America. They are often used interchangeably. Race is associated with biology. It is a socially and politically constructed category of individuals who are assumed to share common inborn biological traits, such as bone structure, hair type, skin, or eye color. These distinctions have been used to the detriment or advantage of American groups over time. Whereas ethnicity is associated with culture factors. It is often tied to nationality of origin and characterized by a person’s ethnic traits, customs, and/or associations. Race and ethnicity in some ways go hand in hand and in other ways differ. Although the similarities are not quite the same they still have the same concept. Today’s society plays a huge role in defining these terms.

The distinction of race and ethnicity has been employed since ancient times, the Romans and Jews and even before them, Egyptians and Jews. In today’s society, what ethnicity you belong to, determines how people will view you as an individual. Based on action done by individuals from your ethnic group, society tends to be biased on judging an individual without giving him a chance to prove himself. Sociology has divided this view, which society has on race and ethnicity into three major categories, the functionalist theory, conflict theory, and Symbolic Interaction. Race is much of a major conflict among society as is ethnicity; race is defined as group of people thought to share certain distinctive physical characteristics, such as facial structure

The author states that though racial research is being conducted for whole populations, there is not much research for the variance within a racial or ethnic group. The author also believes that race and ethnicity are typically and wrongfully pushed together into one big group. She argues that the two terms actually have very different meanings. Race refers to the way one looks outwardly. Whereas ethnicity, is one’s personal heritage or history. The article stresses the importance of differentiating between the

Overall, the classification of race in the United States is not logical because the skin color does not determine race. In addition, after reviewing my ethnicity is demonstrated how I am a mixture of various backgrounds with white skin; therefore, my race would be Native, White, and Black.

The difference between ethnicity and nationality confuse many. They are often improperly used as synonyms, A person’s ethnicity is determined by their ethnic background, which is where their ancestors originate from. The majority of my ethnic background comes from Europe, half Italian and half English. A person’s nationality is where that individual currently holds citizenship. Nationality is quite fluid because it is relatively easy

The subject of race, within the field of sociology, can often be viewed as both a fluid concept and a cultural experience. Contrary to popular belief, race is not biological, but is a socially constructed category of people that share the same biological traits. Race can often change over time and is formed primarily by our personal views and the views of others. These can range from ethnicity to self-presentation and feelings of place within society. One example of the fluidity of race can be seen based upon the classification of the White or Caucasian race. In today’s culture, this race has been drastically increased to include a vast array of “white” individuals.

“If we don’t fully understand our individual and collective roles in maintaining a system of white superiority, our relationships with people of color remains superficial, our ability to work in diverse workplaces is greatly diminished, and we fail to create a just world in which everyone has an equitable opportunity to contribute and thrive” (Kendall, 2013, p. 1). This paper discusses who I am as a cultural person and how I have come to be this way. The first section of this paper discusses my cultural background and my cultural identity. I address the factors that make up my cultural identity and the challenges that I have faced because of my cultural identity. The next section discusses my White racial identity development and the events in my life that have led me to become the person I am today in relation to my racial identity. The final section of this paper outlines the implications my own racial and cultural identity will have on my career as a clinical mental health counselor.

Ethnicity has its origin and has been used variously in addressing and classifying groups of people, constituting a term of identification. Ethnicity as a word evolved from the late Middle English (distinguishing a person not of the Christian or Jewish faith) via latin ethnnicus, Greek ethnikos (from the word ethnos (nation) (Spencer, 2014). Coupled with, Richard Jenkins relates ethnicity to the Greek word ethnos, as it refers to the social interaction of humans (Orji, 2008). A breakdown of the definition of ethnicity will provide an insight to the different perspectives on the conceptualization of ethnicity.