Discussion: Race as a Social Construction
As we are now well aware, there is no biological, genetic determinism for race as a concept, but rather it is what is known as a social construction. What do you believe this means in our study of the influence of globalization? How does this knowledge influence other topics of conversation, such s last week’s topic of stratification and inequality on a global scale? What larger, global forces can you see? How do ideologies and issues surrounding race and ethnicity influence us as members of a global community?
Thinking about the history of race and the knowledge of how globalization is influence where we live and how often we travel, what do you predict for the future of “race” and “ethnicity” as social categories? Will they stay the same? What do demographic trends and history lessons suggest might happen in the coming decades?
Feel free to view this clip (Links to an external site.) from the PBS documentary “Race: The Power of an Illusion” to get you started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8MS6zubIaQ
For Topic Ten Learning Module, please familiarize yourself with chapter six of the text Global Problems, Global Solutions by Chirico (2018).
Also, view the clip from the PBS Documentary”Race, the Power of an Illusion” hereLinks to an external site. (if you are interested, the whole documentary is available on Kanopy through the library – it is a fascinating film that is part of a larger series *strongly recommend