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The Concept of Race

 

            What is race? For many people, race is defined as the color of your skin, but in fact, this term has a variety of meanings. Some of these come up often in everyday life, as we discuss "the human race." Other meanings are used on government forms, as when Americans record which race they belong to for the U.S. Census. Some meanings are far more technical, when for example a "biologist talks about different races of a particular species of plant or animal" (MacEachern 34). The context in which the word race is used has an array of definitions, but in day to day life, we continue to distort the differences between these meanings. One of the most vital tasks of an anthropologist is to examine the biological and cultural variability that is present within humanity. They look at the customs and traditions of different cultures, in search of common foundations that define our shared existence and also the differences that offer variety to our daily lives. "We study the biological characteristics of different human populations, our relations with our relatives-the apes and monkeys, and the evolutionary history of our species" (MacEachern 34). The concept of race is one of the most academically and emotionally charged subjects in the field of Anthropology. So the question I pose is this: Is race still a useful concept for anthropologists? To further examine this controversy, I will be analyzing three different perspectives; they include Dr. Loring Brace, Dr. George W. Gill, and Professors Michael Omi and Howard Winant. .
             Dr. George W. Gill is an American anthropologist who is considered an expert in skeletal biology. In an interview he stated, "Slightly over half of all biological/physical anthropologists today believe in the traditional view that human races are biologically valid and real" (Gill). Gill is certainly one of those anthropologists. Because of his extensive background in forensic anthropology, Dr.


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