Race & Ethnicity
In the field of race, we find ourselves in a curious situation. Race itself is a biological term, but one that is based on characteristics such as skin color and hair texture, that are basically insignificant. Homo Sapiens, as a species, has not been in existence long enough (only about 130, 000 years) to have differentiated to any significant degree. (The Smithsonian has an excellent page on their Human Origins Program that can help inform you better about the evolution of man from his hominid ancestors.)
The problem that we face as social scientists is, then, what does race MEAN? Race is generally accepted to be a social construct, that is it is something that has meaning only because we as a society have given it a particular meaning. In other words, what is important about race is how we respond to our perceptions of racial difference; how those perceptions affect public policies and private perceptions and what that means for a society.Sociologists use theory to help us organize our information so that we can effectively carry out our analysis, and also so that others can read our work and understand where we are coming from. In the left hand column are some links to explanations of theoretical paradigms. These paradigms are the umbrella concepts that shape the various theories developed from data collected by the researcher. Each of these paradigms represents the presuppositions of theorists working in the field, the "things taken for granted" about how social life works in our society. It is important for you to be familiar with these paradigms, as I expect you to use them in your assignments and in our discussions in class.