The Notion of “Race”

What does the term race mean? This question has been asked by scholars for some time. At this writing it is possible to say that the term race is used in many ways, and that discussions reveal that oftentimes people mean different things, even when those people are scientists. What does it mean to you when some scientists say that there are no races? Or when they say that race is a social construct?

What is the significance of saying that race is a social construct? Given that we can see physical variation, and this what some people mean by race how is such variation socially constructed—is it not natural? So what underlies the notion of race? What about when politicians or others say that a particular situation is “all about race” what does that mean? What does a zoological taxonomist mean by race? What does a social scientist mean? What about ordinary people without special training—what do they mean by race and where did they learn about it? Why does the term race still appear in government documents, sometimes in institutions where it is commonly said that the term race is incorrect, that there are no races.

It is well known that the term race has been/is used to refer to various things that may or may not have a clear relationship to each other. In this website we will explore the term race further. We will explore what does race mean in relationship to the idea that Africa is diverse.