"The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of various kinds, including those characterized by close kinship relations."
The social and cultural construction of race, ethnicity, and identity and their impact on human behavior and society.
Historical and Contemporary Context: Understanding the history of how race, ethnicity, and identity have been constructed and applied in society, and how they continue to be relevant in contemporary contexts.
Socio-Political Structures and Power Dynamics: Examining the ways in which race, ethnicity, and identity operate within socio-political systems and power dynamics, and their effects on individuals and communities.
Intersectionality: Examining the ways in which race, ethnicity, and identity intersect with other aspects of social identity, such as gender, class, and sexual orientation, and how they interact with one another to impact individuals and communities.
Cultural Competence: Developing the ability to understand and navigate different cultural norms, values, and beliefs related to race, ethnicity, and identity in order to better engage with diverse communities.
Implicit Bias and Stereotyping: Recognizing unconscious biases and stereotypes that can impact perceptions and interactions with people of different races, ethnicities, and identities, and learning strategies for overcoming them.
Language and Communication: Understanding the role of language and communication in shaping perceptions and experiences of race, ethnicity, and identity, and developing effective communication strategies for cross-cultural interactions.
Social Justice and Equity: Exploring concepts of social justice and equity in relation to race, ethnicity, and identity, and understanding the ways in which systemic injustices can perpetuate disparities and perpetuate social inequality.
Psychological and Social Impacts: Exploring the psychological and social impacts of racism, discrimination, and prejudice on individuals and communities, and identifying strategies for addressing and mitigating their effects.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Allyship: Understanding the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion, and working to become an ally to people of different races, ethnicities, and identities in order to create more equitable and inclusive communities.
Global Perspectives on Race, Ethnicity, and Identity: Examining the ways in which race, ethnicity, and identity are constructed and experienced in different parts of the world, in order to develop a more nuanced understanding of their complexities and diversity.
"By the 17th century, the term began to refer to physical (phenotypical) traits, and then later to national affiliations."
"Modern science regards race as a social construct, an identity which is assigned based on rules made by society."
"While partly based on physical similarities within groups, race does not have an inherent physical or biological meaning."
"The concept of race is foundational to racism, the belief that humans can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another."
"Social conceptions and groupings of races have varied over time, often involving folk taxonomies that define essential types of individuals based on perceived traits."
"Modern scientists consider such biological essentialism obsolete, and generally discourage racial explanations for collective differentiation in both physical and behavioral traits."
"While some researchers continue to use the concept of race to make distinctions among fuzzy sets of traits or observable differences in behavior, others in the scientific community suggest that the idea of race is inherently naive or simplistic."
"Still others argue that, among humans, race has no taxonomic significance because all living humans belong to the same subspecies, Homo sapiens sapiens."
"Since the second half of the 20th century, race has been associated with discredited theories of scientific racism."
"race has often been replaced by less ambiguous and/or loaded terms: populations, people(s), ethnic groups, or communities, depending on context."
"Its use in genetics was formally renounced by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2023."
"race is an identity which is assigned based on rules made by society."
"By the 17th century, the term began to refer to physical (phenotypical) traits."
"Modern science regards race as a social construct."
"Modern scientists generally discourage racial explanations for collective differentiation in both physical and behavioral traits."
"Scientists around the world continue to conceptualize race in widely differing ways."
"Social conceptions and groupings of races have varied over time, often involving folk taxonomies that define essential types of individuals based on perceived traits."
"While partly based on physical similarities within groups, race does not have an inherent physical or biological meaning."
"Still others argue that, among humans, race has no taxonomic significance because all living humans belong to the same subspecies, Homo sapiens sapiens."