Hidden curriculum essay part 2
Hidden curriculum essay part 1
Moreover, race becomes a socially constructed category because it is not just a biologically constructed attribute, such as a skin color, or a scientific one. Race is associated with biological components such as hair texture and color, facial structure, skin color, etc. Actually, it becomes clear that a social category of race is created by “reference to the physical features” (Banton, 1998, p. 196). People are born with different biological attributes, different personal characteristics and talent. The process of socialization affects people as the members of society, “into which they have been born” (Banton, 1998, p. 196). The category of race stands for the category of society members, who are treated unreality because of certain differences in biological construction.
In fact, any social category can be viewed as a social construct, because it has been developed from certain form or material taken from the environment. Racial distinctions between individuals have always been focused on certain physical characteristics. Besides, racial distinctions are similar to ethnic distinctions, which are based on some common culture and cultural values. According to researchers, “the members of a racial category may feel themselves to be the members of a group and to share elements of common culture”(Banton, 1998, p. 198). Many researchers state that racial classification depends on the so-called objective assessments that are often made by observers. As a result, racial distinctions lead to the exclusion of people from civil rights.
In the United States, racial category is well-defined because many Americans recognize that racial distinctions affect human interaction, dividing people into different racial groups. Race is used as socially constructed category as it lies in the basis of other categories which affect human interaction. However, many people still treat this category as a biological category because of the perceptions of people, which involve a set of physical differences. As a result, any person in human society can be perceived as a member of certain racial category. In other words, it becomes clear that inheritable physical differences of individuals inspire and support social behaviors of individuals, and deal with race as a socially constructed category. The study of race relations helps to better understand the nature of the construction of races, assuming the role of biological and cultural aspects of race. According to Webster, racial classification stands for racial categories that generate certain groups of people “on the basis of certain selected anatomical features” (Ferber, 1995, p. 168).
Thus, it is necessary to conclude that race is not a biological category that involves simple skin color, hair colors and facial construction, but it is a socially constructed category. Race depends on specific social relations that contribute to the overall development of human society. Race as a socially constructed category gives a meaning to social construction and leads to racialization of population. Racial agents are constructed as a result of a complex process that is aimed at defining the boundaries between racial groups. Race as a socially constructed category generates and promotes racialized identities. In general, race cannot be viewed as merely a natural category, because it is constructed by individuals and can be reconstructed, depending on certain changes in social perceptions and attitudes. Race is an unstable category because any socially constructed category can be organized differently and perceived differently.
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