Race & ethnicity: A Social-constructed concept?
By Louiza Mark
EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education
By Louiza Mark
EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
February 11, 2009
I don’t believe that there is a specific way to define any race or ethnicity. The reason is because I do not feel or identify myself within a specific race. I feel that race is an obscure theoretical construct with tremendous social implications. I feel that the term race was created in order to differentiate people.
However, it has been abused to such an extent in this country that it purely connotes negativity. Not one time have I heard the word race associated or accompanied by a positive remark or story. This term has been infested with the disease of hatred and therefore, I find it to be insignificant in my vocabulary. I do not feel that race is a term that can be defined.
Ethnicity I feel is a different more flexible term. I feel comfortable using it. I feel that my ethnicity is defined by my culture. The elements of my culture that differentiate it from the rest are what define my ethnicity. For example, the commitment to familial structure is a large part of my culture and it can be used to define my ethnic background. Granted, there are many ethnicities that emphasize family and that is acceptable. But, what separates any one ethnicity from the rest is its combination of other cultural practices and customs along with the family. Religion, belief systems, worldviews, dances, folklore, language, history, and many other factors are precisely what define any ethnicity-not only my own. That I feel is the standard that can be used to differentiate and to define ethnicity.
Long Island University, C. W. Post
February 11, 2009
I don’t believe that there is a specific way to define any race or ethnicity. The reason is because I do not feel or identify myself within a specific race. I feel that race is an obscure theoretical construct with tremendous social implications. I feel that the term race was created in order to differentiate people.
However, it has been abused to such an extent in this country that it purely connotes negativity. Not one time have I heard the word race associated or accompanied by a positive remark or story. This term has been infested with the disease of hatred and therefore, I find it to be insignificant in my vocabulary. I do not feel that race is a term that can be defined.
Ethnicity I feel is a different more flexible term. I feel comfortable using it. I feel that my ethnicity is defined by my culture. The elements of my culture that differentiate it from the rest are what define my ethnicity. For example, the commitment to familial structure is a large part of my culture and it can be used to define my ethnic background. Granted, there are many ethnicities that emphasize family and that is acceptable. But, what separates any one ethnicity from the rest is its combination of other cultural practices and customs along with the family. Religion, belief systems, worldviews, dances, folklore, language, history, and many other factors are precisely what define any ethnicity-not only my own. That I feel is the standard that can be used to differentiate and to define ethnicity.
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