"In the United States both scholars and the general public have been conditioned to viewing human races as natural and separate divisions within the human species based on visible physical differences. With the vast expansion of scientific knowledge in this century, however, it has become clear that human populations are not unambiguous, clearly demarcated, biologically distinct groups. Evidence from the analysis of genetics (e.g., DNA) indicates that most physical variation, about 94%, lies within so-called racial groups. Conventional geographic “racial” groupings differ from one another only in about 6% of their genes. This means that there is greater variation within “racial” groups than between them. In neighboring populations there is much overlapping of genes and their phenotypic (physical) expressions. Throughout history whenever different groups have come into contact, they have interbred. The continued sharing of genetic materials has maintained all of humankind as a single species.
“Race” thus evolved as a worldview, a body of prejudgments that distorts our ideas about human differences and group behavior. Racial beliefs constitute myths about the diversity in the human species and about the abilities and behavior of people homogenized into “racial” categories. The myths fused behavior and physical features together in the public mind, impeding our comprehension of both biological variations and cultural behavior, implying that both are genetically determined. Racial myths bear no relationship to the reality of human capabilities or behavior. Scientists today find that reliance on such folk beliefs about human differences in research has led to countless errors.
Given what we know about the capacity of normal humans to achieve and function within any culture, we conclude that present-day inequalities between so-called “racial” groups are not consequences of their biological inheritance but products of historical and contemporary social, economic, educational, and political circumstances."

The Association of Anthropologist’s official Statement about Race (via rocksareforclimbing)

80 notes

Thursday 9th February at 6:38pm

Tagged as: AAA race united states anthropology

Reblogged from tea-and-anthropology, originally posted by rocksareforclimbing

Source: rocksareforclimbing

  1. drizzleandhurricanes reblogged this from cwnerd12
  2. fire-tiger reblogged this from cwnerd12
  3. chebk reblogged this from phanapoeia
  4. phanapoeia reblogged this from your-ridiculous-lies
  5. your-ridiculous-lies reblogged this from cwnerd12
  6. salientverses reblogged this from fyeahsociology
  7. phantomdoodler reblogged this from cwnerd12
  8. cwnerd12 reblogged this from fyeahsociology
  9. fyeahsociology reblogged this from sociolab
  10. epicjedimaster reblogged this from nottestedonmuggles
  11. dazebras reblogged this from epicpseudonym
  12. nottestedonmuggles reblogged this from zomganthro
  13. qsonja-the-kiss-ninja reblogged this from franzboas
  14. mycowgoeswhee reblogged this from flashgorman
  15. geographervor reblogged this from fyeahanthropology
  16. quelquechosedebonarrivera reblogged this from anthropologydaily
  17. temporalgabby reblogged this from bonedust-
  18. bonedust- reblogged this from zomganthro
  19. heartpaintedred reblogged this from fyeahanthropology
  20. fyeahanthropology reblogged this from zomganthro
  21. crowdcult reblogged this from zomganthro
  22. flashgorman reblogged this from jangojips
  23. a-brain-you-dont-own reblogged this from princeoshawott
  24. wibblywobblyeyebrowsofdoom reblogged this from franzboas
  25. negative-euphoria-rabbit reblogged this from franzboas
  26. yepitspat reblogged this from thesmokingspear and added:
    rocksareforclimbing )