Discussion : Human Variation, "Race", and DNA Testing

The Race Concept Misconceptions about Race

“Race is not an accurate or productive way to describe human biological variation

(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.20995/abstract) ”

–Heather J.H. Edgar and Keith L. Hunley, Race Reconciled, 2009:2

Despite this, people continue to hold many misconceptions about race. Some key

misunderstandings:

• Humans can be naturally divided into races.

• Members of each race are genetically similar to each other.

• Members of different races are different in important ways.

Let's begin this section by watching the trailer for the film, Race: The Power of an Illusion:

We know race is a social issue because racism is an important factor in human culture.

How biological is the issue of race? What do you suspect the students find out about

themselves in this teaser video? There is a complex range of factors that have contributed

to the concept of race, including so-called “scientific” study, political, and cultural issues. To

understand these issues, we must first see them from a historical perspective. This is

because we cannot look at ourselves as only biological organisms; culture has played a

significant role in our self-definition.

To sum things up, here is a list of ten things

(http://newsreel.org/guides/race/10things.htm) everyone should know about race. Some are

biological issues and some are cultural issues. We cannot always disentangle the two,

since we are a biocultural species—our biology and our culture contribute to who we are.

“Race” as Human Variation

Certain factors that vary in human populations are typically used to divide us into “races”.

Let’s look at issues of human variation as it applies to the concept of race:

(https://www.youtube.com/embed/_XYdGEZfcHM)

Popular culture, even with a scientific angle, can reinforce the false idea that races are

biologically real categories. For example, there are numerous television shows that

regularly feature forensic anthropologists who easily identify race from skeletal remains.

Does this mean race is real from a biological perspective? Again, no.

Forensic anthropologist Norman Sauer answered this question of “is race real” in a classic

article titled Forensic Anthropology and the Concept of Race: If races don’t exist, why are

forensic anthropologists so good at identifying them? (1992). Sauer states “the successful

assignment of race to a skeletal specimen is not a vindication of the race concept, but

rather a prediction that an individual, while alive was assigned to a particular socially

constructed ‘racial’ category” (1992:107). Forensic anthropologists have samples of

bones from many geographic areas, and can classify bones according to what race society

has assigned to people with ancestry in those geographic areas. “In ascribing a race

name to a set of skeletonized remains, the anthropologist is

actually translating information about biological traits to a culturally constructed labeling

system that was likely to have been applied to a missing person” (1992:109).

Place of geographic origin, then, are likely to imbue individuals with certain external

physical characteristics that can be seen on human skeletal remains. However, this is only

one small feature of the wide range of traits used to look at humans. One of the major

characteristics that we use to look at “race” is skin color. Let’s look at the biology of

different skin tones as discussed by the world’s expert on evolution and skin color,

paleobiologist Dr. Nina Jablonski:

…

(https://www.youtube.com/embed/QOSPNVunyFQ)

Visit this page (http://www.pbs.org/race/004_HumanDiversity/004_00-home.htm) (part of

the Race: The Power of an Illusion website) on Human Diversity. Click on “Take the Quiz”

(don’t worry, this quiz is for learning purposes only) and see how much you know. The

website will tell you the correct answer and explain the rationale behind it.

Next, click on “Explore Diversity” and a new window will open. Explore the three

categories of information, Physical Appearance (look at how different characteristics are

distributed in clines), Geographic Origin (look at patterns of human migration through

time), and Genetic Similarity.

At this point, you should be able to use the information you have learned in this module to

address basic misconceptions about race. Revisit the misunderstandings listed at the

beginning of this module.

Above: Map of overall genetic similarity world-wide. Differences follow a west-east

gradient, in line with patterns of overall human migration. Below: Map of skin color (among

indigenous populations) world-wide. Differences follow a north-south gradient, in line with

patterns of adaptations to less or more sun. These two maps illustrate just one aspect of

how human variation occurs in complex, overlapping clines that do not map on to or define

races in meaningful ways.

There are many people who have difficulty with these concepts. They want to believe that

the differences in people that they see with their eyes represents all the important

differences among people that they need to know. Through this course, we know that

much of the variation among people is unseen. Keep in mind that only some of our genes

are reflected in our visible phenotype. When one has a better understanding of human

biology, this should be clear.